Author: Lukas Schneider

BMW will open order books for the new iX5 60 xDrive on October 8, 2026, with production scheduled to begin as early as December. Although BMW has not yet confirmed pricing, media reports indicate that the electric SUV could be priced above €100,000. The iX5 60 xDrive will become BMW’s first electric SUV in its flagship class to use an 800-volt architecture. Its all-wheel-drive system delivers 425 kW of peak power and 805 Nm of torque, enabling acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 210 km/h. The 141 kWh battery provides a combined…

BMW has officially opened its new battery production facility in Irlbach-Straßkirchen, Lower Bavaria, and started series production of sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. The plant will initially supply batteries for the new BMW i3 produced in Munich and is planned to become an important part of BMW’s German battery production network. Construction of the facility began in April 2024, with the first pre-series batteries produced in March 2026. BMW has invested around €1 billion in the site, which covers approximately 60 hectares south of Regensburg. BMW Accelerates Production at New Battery Plant BMW said the plant is ramping up production faster than…

BMW plans to expand its Neue Klasse electric vehicle lineup with a new compact model in 2028, while the automaker will unveil the all-electric iX4 later this year. The plans were outlined during BMW Group’s Capital Market Day 2026 as the company prepares to extend Neue Klasse technology across more vehicle segments. BMW said it intends to “strategically expand the high-volume entry segment with another all-electric model of the Neue Klasse in 2028,” with Europe identified as a key market. The upcoming compact vehicle will mark the first time the Neue Klasse technology is applied to BMW’s entry-level segment. BMW…

Siemens eMobility and OMV have deployed Siemens’ Sicharge Flex charging system in commercial operations for the first time at a charging park in Kufstein, Austria. The site, located along the heavily trafficked Brenner route, will initially offer six DC charging points for passenger cars and electric trucks, with an additional four megawatt charging points planned for a later expansion. OMV is the pilot customer and first commercial user of Sicharge Flex, which Siemens introduced in October 2025. The Kufstein site is primarily intended to support electric heavy-duty transport travelling between Germany, Austria, and Italy across the Alps. Kufstein Site Opens…

BMW has unveiled the new electric i3, the first all-electric model in the 3 Series family, with two all-wheel-drive variants at launch and a maximum WLTP range of 912 kilometres. Based on the automaker’s Neue Klasse platform, the i3 shares its core technology with the iX3 electric SUV and is produced at BMW’s main plant in Munich. Two Electric Variants at Launch The BMW i3 will initially be offered as the i3 40 xDrive and i3 50 xDrive. BMW has priced the i3 40 xDrive from €59,900, while the i3 50 xDrive starts at €65,900. BMW began accepting orders for…

Bosch plans to cut 900 jobs at its Nuremberg plant in Germany, adding to previously announced reductions across the company as its Mobility business faces continued restructuring. The planned reduction affects the Bosch plant in Nuremberg, where the majority of employees work in the Mobility sector, the company’s automotive supplier business. The latest cuts come in addition to previously announced job reductions across Bosch. Works Council Criticises Planned Cutback The IG Metall trade union and the Nuremberg works council have criticised the proposed workforce reduction and warned about the future of the plant. “If the employer implements these drastic cutback…

Volkswagen has officially confirmed that the electric models previously known as the ID.4 and ID.5 will be renamed the ID. Tiguan, aligning the battery-electric SUV with the company’s established Tiguan model line. The new ID. Tiguan will “take on the role of ID.4 and ID.5,” according to Volkswagen. The move continues the automaker’s strategy of using established model names for electric vehicles rather than relying exclusively on the “ID.” prefix followed by a number. Volkswagen Expands Established Model Names Into EVs Volkswagen began moving toward established names for its electric vehicles with the ID. Polo, previously known by the working…

BMW Group has received the “Global New Energy Vehicle Innovative Technology” award at the 2026 World New Energy Vehicle Congress for its Gen6 high-voltage battery technology. BMW was the only automaker from outside China among the event’s technology award winners. The recognition marks the company’s sixth award at the Haikou-based event and its fifth consecutive year receiving an honour there. Gen6 Battery Underpins Neue Klasse The sixth-generation battery is a core component of BMW’s Neue Klasse electric vehicle architecture. It uses cylindrical battery cells with high-nickel cathodes and is designed to deliver improvements in range, charging performance and overall vehicle…

European Rally Champion Miko Marczyk has set a Guinness World Record with an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance after covering 1,338 kilometres on a single battery charge. Audi said the drive was completed with average energy consumption of 7.09 kWh per 100 kilometres. Marczyk began the record attempt at 1:55 a.m. on September 11, driving along the Vistula River across Poland. The route passed through Kraków, Sandomierz, Warsaw, Toruń and Grudziądz before reaching Hel on the Baltic coast, after which he returned along the same route. The journey lasted more than 45 hours and ended between Toruń and Ciechocinek after…

Volkswagen has unveiled its Mission Efficiency concept, a near-production electric vehicle designed to demonstrate how mass-production technology, lightweight construction and advanced aerodynamics can significantly reduce energy consumption. The concept uses components from Volkswagen’s MEB+ platform rather than specialised technologies developed exclusively for a limited-run vehicle. Its development focuses heavily on reducing aerodynamic drag and energy demand, positioning the vehicle as a modern successor in concept to the limited-production Volkswagen XL1. Aerodynamics Drive Efficiency Gains The Mission Efficiency features a streamlined, teardrop-inspired body designed to minimise aerodynamic resistance. The exterior incorporates a flat front, enclosed rear wheel covers and a fully…

The Volkswagen ID. California Cruise is Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ first fully electric California camper van and the first member of a new all-electric California family. Based on the rear-wheel-drive ID. Buzz Pro, the electric recreational vehicle is offered with short- and long-wheelbase configurations and combines Volkswagen’s established camper concept with battery-electric technology. The ID. California Cruise starts at €60,761 for the short-wheelbase version. Volkswagen has not yet announced pricing for the long-wheelbase model. First deliveries are planned for early 2027, with additional California models expected to follow by 2028. Volkswagen ID. California Cruise Pricing The short-wheelbase ID. California Cruise starts…

BMW has reached two million battery-electric vehicle sales globally, marking a major milestone more than a decade after the automaker introduced the i3 as its first mass-produced electric model. The two-millionth battery-electric vehicle was a BMW i5 M60 xDrive built at the company’s Dingolfing plant in Germany and delivered to a customer in Spain. The milestone includes fully electric BMW and Mini vehicles sold worldwide. Neue Klasse Drives BMW’s Next EV Phase BMW is now entering a new phase of electrification with its Neue Klasse platform. The first model based on the architecture, the BMW iX3, has attracted nearly 100,000…

Volkswagen’s upcoming affordable electric small car is reportedly set to be called the ID. Up, replacing the previously expected ID.1 designation. The model is scheduled to launch in autumn 2027 with a target starting price of around €20,000 and is expected to be manufactured at Volkswagen’s Palmela plant in Portugal. The name has not been officially announced by Volkswagen Group, but Spanish automotive publication Motor.es reports that Volkswagen has already finalized the designation. Volkswagen Returns to Familiar Model Names Volkswagen has been moving away from using numbers alone for its electric vehicles. The company previously indicated that its new €25,000…

Berlin-based charging payment company Cariqa has partnered with U.S. charging infrastructure provider ChargePoint to enable charging station operators to process direct, QR code-based payments through the Cariqa platform. The partnership will initially launch across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland. QR Code Payments Without an App The partnership centers on Cariqa Go, a service that allows EV drivers to pay directly at charging stations without downloading an app, creating an account or using a charging card. The payment process begins when a driver scans a QR code displayed at a compatible charging station using a smartphone.…

The city of Nuremberg is carrying out the demolition of a former nursery using electric construction machinery and an electric truck after requiring emissions-free operations as part of its public tender. The project covers a site of around 7,000 square metres at the former Sauerbrey nursery in the city’s Westpark. According to Nuremberg, the project represents Bavaria’s first public tender for a demolition operation requiring emissions-free machinery, equipment and transport vehicles. https://evmagz.com/vag-nuremberg-reaches-100-electric-buses-with-arrival-of-new-ecitaro-articulated-model/ Tender Requires Emissions-Free Equipment The procurement requirements prohibit conventional combustion engines, including hybrid systems and engines running on alternative fuels. All machinery, equipment and transport vehicles used at…

BMW has completed a major upgrade of its Leipzig production plant ahead of the planned introduction of Neue Klasse vehicles, replacing 240 hydraulic lift tables and installing 160 new robots during a five-and-a-half-week production shutdown. More than 2,000 contractors worked across the 241-hectare site during the shutdown, according to Leipziger Volkszeitung. Vehicle production was suspended throughout the conversion period. BMW has not yet disclosed which Neue Klasse models will eventually be built at the plant. https://evmagz.com/bmw-reportedly-developing-all-electric-i4-cabrio-on-neue-klasse-platform/ Assembly Lines Prepared for Heavier Underbodies The largest changes were made in the assembly area, where BMW replaced 240 hydraulic lifting tables used to…

Porsche is reportedly planning to discontinue production of the battery-electric Taycan by 2030 at the latest, following a sharp decline in demand for the model. The company is expected to keep the electric sports car in production at its Stuttgart headquarters rather than moving assembly to Leipzig, according to a report by WirtschaftsWoche citing company insiders. The Taycan entered series production in 2019 and initially attracted strong demand, but deliveries have since fallen significantly. Porsche delivered nearly 41,000 Taycan vehicles in 2023, compared with around 16,000 last year, while first-half 2026 deliveries stood at just over 6,000 units. Taycan Production…

Mercedes-AMG is expanding its electric GT family with the new GT 53 4-Door Coupé, positioning the model as a more affordable alternative to the recently unveiled flagship GT 63 4-Door Coupé. The new variant differs from the range-topping model primarily in its electric powertrain. Instead of the three axial-flux motors used by the GT 63, the GT 53 is equipped with two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM) delivering a combined system output of 400 kW. Mercedes-AMG has been building anticipation for its new electric four-door GT for several months. The company showed a heavily camouflaged prototype during last year’s Formula…

Audi has released additional technical details of the upcoming A2 e-tron ahead of its global debut this autumn, outlining the electric hatchback’s battery specifications, drivetrain, efficiency and charging performance. The latest preview also provides a clearer look at the exterior design, with most of the camouflage removed ahead of the model’s official unveiling. Efficiency-Focused Electric Hatchback Audi said the A2 e-tron has been developed with a strong emphasis on efficiency, combining low energy consumption with competitive driving range. The manufacturer confirmed that the 140kW version equipped with the optional Efficiency Package will feature a 61kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery,…

German solar mobility company Sono Motors GmbH has ceased operations and entered insolvency proceedings, bringing to an end a decade-long effort to commercialise vehicle-integrated solar technology. The Munich-based company officially stopped operating on 31 July after failing to secure new financing despite prolonged discussions with potential investors. Technology Portfolio Offered for Sale Following the insolvency, Managing Directors Denis Azhar and Jan Schiermeister are seeking buyers for the company’s remaining technology assets. The portfolio has been divided into three main packages covering the solar integration technology developed for the Sion electric vehicle, power electronics including the vehicle solar charge controller, and…