Europe

SHANGHAI — Audi is in talks with SAIC to buy an electric vehicle platform from the Chinese state-owned automaker, two people familiar with the matter said. The move comes as sales of Audi’s electric cars in China fall sharply behind those of Tesla and domestic competitors such as Nio. Audi is seeking to use the

Audi is considering buying an electric platform from a competitor in China to shorten development times for its new models, company sources told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Audi needs to update and expand its EV offerings to keep up with competitors, especially in China, after key new electric models such as the Q6

TOKYO — Toyota will focus on selling hydrogen-powered trucks and cars in Europe and China, as part of a push to sell 200,000 of these vehicles by 2030, executives said. The decision marks a shift in focus for the automaker, a major backer of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as an alternative to electric vehicles. Until

ROME — Fiat parent Stellantis and the Italian government agreed on Monday to aim to increase annual production in Italy to one million units, reversing a downward trend seen in recent year Stellantis built fewer than 700,000 vehicles in the country last year and in 2021, as it was hit by a global shortage of

Volkswagen will begin limited testing of an autonomous ride-hailing program in a geofenced region of Austin, Texas, this month using up to 10 Euro-version ID Buzz minivans equipped with special equipment from Mobileye and, at least initially, human safety drivers. VW will use the Level 4 test fleet, which it said will grow in subsequent

A “Chinese storm” is looming over Europe’s growing electric vehicle sector, Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said, as Asia’s superpower dominates key raw materials to make batteries for zero emission cars. China’s recent decision to restrict exports of two metals — gallium and germanium — used in semiconductors and EVs should raise red flags for European

Automotive News Europe honors the winners of the 2023 Rising Stars awards. We will showcase a winner each day through July 11. The Rising Star for Electrification is Sebastian Wolf, who is chief operating officer at Volkswagen Group subsidiary PowerCo. For his full profile click here. The 2023 Rising Stars winners were honored in Paris

Automotive News Europe honors the winners of the 2023 Rising Stars awards. We will showcase a winner each day through July 11. The Rising Star for Business Performance is Gem Wareing, who is business performance director at Jaguar Land Rover. For her full profile click here. The 2023 Rising Stars winners were honored in Paris

LONDON — Chinese tech-focused EV brand HiPhi will give its Y battery-electric midsize SUV a European debut at  the Goodwood Festival of Speed this month as part of the company’s global expansion. HiPhi was established in China in 2019 by Human Horizons, a self-described new mobility research company which itself was started in 2017. The

Tesla rolled out a new incentive globally allowing buyers to earn extra incentives through referrals from existing customers, a strategy long used by traditional automakers to boost sales. The cash rebates are applicable in markets including the U.S., China, Canada, the U.K., France and Germany, according to Tesla’s regional websites on Friday. The incentive, which

Stellantis’s incoming Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight says figuring out China is key for the automaker because of the country’s importance in the shift to electric vehicles. China and Asia as a whole represent a “great opportunity,” also when it comes to working with the region’s automakers, Knight said Thursday on a call with reporters.

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius will have his contract extended, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Kallenius’ contract is currently set to expire in May 2024. The source said no surprises were expected on the question of another term for Kallenius, which would keep the 54-year-old at the helm of the

PARIS — Renault Group’s side of the planned Horse internal-combustion JV with Geely and Aramco has begun operations, with 9,000 employees, eight manufacturing sites and three research centers. Horse was announced in November 2022 by Renault CEO Luca de Meo in November 2022, with Zhejiant Geely Holding Group as an initial 50-50 partner through the

Stellantis’ STLA Medium platform will underpin at least 2 million EVs a year and offer a range of up to 700 km (435 miles) on vehicles starting with the Peugeot 3008 SUV by the end of this year. The platform — which Stellantis says is “BEV by design” — is one of four electric architectures

The owner of automotive technology company Veoneer is selling its passive safety business, according to people familiar with the situation. U.S. private equity firm SSW Partners is working with advisers to gauge interest in the unit, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. The asset, which could fetch as much

TURIN — Fiat is doubling its offering in Europe’s crucial small SUV segment with the New 600e, a five-door, five-seat EV that will coexist for at least two years with the 500X, which was introduced in 2014. Fiat plans to keep the 500X in production until early 2026. The 500X is offered only with internal

TOKYO — Toyota’s radical electric vehicle overhaul will deliver a plethora of knock-on benefits beyond the next-generation of Tesla-fighting Toyotas that start rolling off the line from 2026. Breakthrough manufacturing processes will be applied to factories making more conventional vehicles as well. Meanwhile, the new all-electric platform being engineered from scratch may even be shared

PARIS — Dacia will sponsor a factory team to race the Dakar desert rally in 2025 as a way to showcase carbon-neutral mobility using synthetic fuels, brand CEO Denis Le Vot said. The Renault brand’s entries will be driven by the French rally champion Sebastien Loeb and Christina Gutierrez of Spain, a stage winner and seven-time

The magnitude of Peter Horbury’s sudden passing last week is still being absorbed by the industry. Two themes have run through the outpouring of condolences: Horbury’s brilliance as a designer for his work at brands such as Lotus, Lynk & CO, Volvo, Ford, Lincoln and Chrysler during nearly 50 years in the business, and for

Audi’s new CEO Gernot Doellner is hardly known to the public and even industry insiders are likely to have Googled him after it was announced that he will replace Markus Duesmann on Sept. 1 Doellner, 54, is a 30-year veteran of Volkswagen Group and a close associate of VW Group and Porsche CEO Oliver Blume.

MG Motor, a unit of Chinese automaker SAIC Motor, announced a new leasing offer whereby drivers in France can get for 99 euros ($107.6) a month the MG4 electric car, matching a program the French government would like to use to benefit cars made in Europe. The promotion runs from July 1 through August 31

Visionary, disruptor, revolutionary – no automaker is equated with subversive terms as much as Tesla. The U.S. electric car pioneer has turned the industry upside down. After more than 100 years of the all-powerful internal combustion engine, Tesla came along and helped the electric drive to achieve a breakthrough. This was indeed a revolution. And

Former colleagues and industry executives paid tribute to Lotus design chief Peter Horbury, who has died at age 73. Horbury, probably best known for turning around Volvo design, died on Thursday in China, according to multiple sources. “He was a proper giant in car design. Everybody knew Peter. There will be a pain felt throughout

Volvo Cars has hired a “digital-first business leader” to help it transition into generating half of its global sales online by 2025. Gretchen Saegh-Fleming will join the automaker July 3 from Hydrow, which sells home rowing machines, where she served as chief commercial officer for two and a half years. Prior to that she spent

GOTHENBURG, Sweden – As Zeekr, the Geely premium full-electric brand, prepares to enter the European market, it is taking aim at Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz customers who are switching to EVs from diesel models. “You cannot play in the European premium pond if you are not able to lure at least a small portion of

Audi will replace CEO Markus Duesmann with Volkswagen Group strategy chief Gernot Doellner. Doellner will take over from Duesmann on Sept. 1, Audi said in a statement on Thursday. Duesman’s future had been in doubt following a number of mishaps and slow progress on innovation that has seen the luxury brand fall behind competitors BMW

TOKYO — Toyota reported a 10 percent jump in global sales for May from a year earlier, benefiting from growth at home and China as a shortage of semiconductors and other parts eases. The company sold 838,478 vehicles globally last month, including its luxury car brand Lexus, compared to 761,466 vehicles in May 2022, when

Nissan installed a camera surveillance system at the home of former COO Ashwani Gupta so the automaker’s internal security team could monitor him, according to the preliminary findings of an investigation into the surveillance, two people with knowledge of the report told Reuters. Nissan has been investigating a claim that CEO Makato Uchida carried out

Volkswagen is reducing output of electric cars at its Emden plant in northern Germany due to flagging sales. Production of the ID4 full-electric SUV and the brand’s new ID7 all-electric sedan will be cut over the next two weeks, the Nordwest-Zeitung newspaper reported, citing the factory’s works council. The plant’s three-week summer vacation will be

BMW and Volkswagen were big winners last month in Belgium, where a looming increase in the country’s CO2 tax led to a huge surge in demand for electrified cars, which helped lift the overall market by 41 percent. BMW was boosted by a 208 percent sales increase for the 1 Series, a 33 percent gain