Author: Lukas Schneider

Volkswagen stands out as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the European Union’s decision to relax the timing of its vehicle emissions targets, according to new calculations by market analysts and environmental researchers. Based on 2025 fleet emissions data, Volkswagen would have faced hypothetical fines of between €1.7 billion and €2.2 billion under the EU’s original annual compliance rules, according to estimates by Dataforce and the International Council on Clean Transportation. Those penalties are now avoided after Brussels allowed carmakers to meet CO₂ targets on average over the 2025–2027 period rather than annually. See also: Volkswagen to Rename ID.4 as…

Schaeffler said it has expanded its portfolio of repair solutions for electric drivetrains, making new repair kits for e-axles, electric motors and transmissions available for additional battery-electric vehicle models from major automakers. Effective immediately, the repair kits cover a broader range of common electric vehicle platforms, including the Hyundai Ioniq AE-EV, Volkswagen e-Golf VII, Volkswagen e-Up, BMW i3 and the Nissan Leaf. Schaeffler said the kits are designed to help independent workshops and service centres address the growing technical demands of electric mobility. See also: Schaeffler Begins Mass Production of High-Voltage Inverter Brick in China “The repair of electric drive…

German automotive supplier ZF has agreed with several customers to terminate a number of electrified drivetrain projects ahead of schedule, citing weaker-than-expected profitability amid a slower ramp-up of electric mobility. The decision was announced alongside ZF’s preliminary financial results for 2025. The company did not disclose which customer projects would be affected but said the move would result in a one-time charge and a reported loss for the year. See also: ZF-Foxconn Venture Opens Hungary Plant to Supply BMW Neue Klasse EVs “The decision will result in a one-time charge and a reported loss for 2025,” ZF said in a…

Volkswagen will rename its ID.4 electric SUV as the ID. Tiguan later this year, Germany’s IG Metall trade union said, confirming earlier reports by Automobilwoche. The renaming, which had circulated in industry discussions for months, was publicly confirmed by IG Metall Emden. According to the union, production of the ID. Tiguan at Volkswagen’s Emden plant in Lower Saxony will continue until the end of 2031. A decision on a successor electric midsize SUV from the site has not yet been taken. See also: Volkswagen to Centralise Management of Core Brands, Targets €1 Billion Production Savings The ID. Tiguan will launch…

Europe’s electric vehicle market saw a notable shift in 2025, with Volkswagen regaining the top position in battery-electric vehicle sales after a sharp rebound across the region, while Tesla recorded a steep decline. According to industry data compiled by Dataforce and reported by Automotive News, Volkswagen delivered about 274,000 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in Europe in 2025, an increase of more than 50% year on year. Tesla’s European BEV sales fell roughly 27% to around 239,000 units over the same period, allowing Volkswagen to reclaim the brand leadership it had previously lost. Tesla nevertheless retained the title for the single best-selling…

Volkswagen Group said it is creating a new Group Board of Management for its four high-volume brands — VW Passenger Cars, Škoda, Seat/Cupra and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles — in a restructuring aimed at cutting costs, streamlining decision-making and delivering up to €1 billion in production savings by 2030. The new Brand Group Executive Board will become the highest decision-making body for cross-brand matters within the Brand Group Core (BGC), which has long coordinated Volkswagen’s volume brands. From this month, production, technical development and procurement at the four marques will be managed increasingly across brands, with the reorganisation expected to be…

Volkswagen Group said its Zwickau plant in eastern Germany will become the automaker’s central competence centre for circular economy activities, expanding the site’s role beyond vehicle production to include recycling and the development of new business models for use across its global manufacturing network. The Centre of Excellence for Circular Economy, first outlined during 2024 wage negotiations, is intended to assess the economic viability of circular business models, set group-wide standards and transfer expertise to other Volkswagen sites worldwide. The company plans to invest up to €90 million in Zwickau over the coming years, with the Free State of Saxony…

Opel has introduced the Grandland Electric AWD, its first fully electric model equipped with all-wheel drive, as the brand expands its battery-electric lineup in Europe. The electric SUV uses a dual-motor configuration, pairing a 157 kW front motor with an 83 kW rear unit for a combined output of 239 kW and peak torque of 509 Nm. Power is supplied by a 73 kWh lithium-ion NMC battery, delivering a driving range of up to 502 kilometres under the WLTP test cycle. Opel said the Grandland Electric AWD is fitted as standard with frequency selective damping, a suspension system that mechanically…

Chinese automaker Chery has entered the German passenger car market through its international-focused brands Omoda and Jaecoo, launching the plug-in hybrid Jaecoo 7 SHS as its first offering in the country. The mid-size SUV, priced from €36,900, offers up to 90 kilometres of electric-only range and a combined driving range of about 1,200 kilometres, according to the company. Unlike many Chinese market entrants, Chery is debuting in Germany with a plug-in hybrid rather than a fully electric vehicle, allowing it to avoid additional EU tariffs currently applied to China-made battery-electric cars. See also: EU Considers Extending China Tariffs to Hybrid…

A German government-backed research initiative has been launched to develop industrial-scale recycling solutions for electric axle drive systems, as Europe seeks to reduce reliance on scarce strategic materials used in electric vehicles. The project, known as ReDriveS, is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) and brings together 25 industry and research partners, including automotive supplier Schaeffler and carmaker Volkswagen. It aims to create automated and economically viable circular economy processes for electric axle drives, or e-axles, used in battery electric vehicles. See also: Schaeffler Begins Mass Production of High-Voltage Inverter Brick in China E-axles integrate…

Germany will reinstate federal incentives for electric vehicle purchases from January 1, 2026, allocating €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in funding through 2029 as the government seeks to revive demand and support its struggling automotive industry. The decision comes two years after Berlin abruptly ended its previous EV subsidy scheme due to budget constraints, a move that led to a sharp decline in electric vehicle sales in 2024. The new programme has been approved under the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. See also: Electric Vehicle Sales in Germany Surge 43% in 2025 as Fleet Demand Leads Under the revised scheme, the…

Opel will not bring an electric version of its iconic Manta model to market before the end of this decade, its chief executive said, as the automaker reassesses priorities amid slower-than-expected growth in electric vehicle demand and charging infrastructure. In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Opel Chief Executive Florian Huettl said the company had shifted its medium-term focus toward renewing high-volume models, including the Corsa and its sport utility vehicle range. “The Manta is a model with enormous emotional potential,” Huettl said. “However, we have reordered our medium-term priorities. We are first renewing the Corsa and our SUV…

BMW has released initial technical details of its upcoming electric M models based on the Neue Klasse platform, confirming that all fully electric BMW M Neue Klasse vehicles launched from 2027 will use a four-motor drivetrain, with one electric motor powering each wheel. At the core of the new architecture is the BMW M eDrive system, which features two electric drive units on the front axle and two on the rear axle. Each motor is mounted internally and independently drives a single wheel, allowing precise control of torque and power distribution, BMW said. See also: BMW India Plans Three New…

The Volkswagen Group delivered 983,100 battery-electric vehicles worldwide in 2025, marking an increase of nearly one-third from the previous year and signalling a return to growth after a downturn in 2024, the company said. Global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) deliveries rose 32% from 744,800 units in 2024, when Volkswagen Group sales had slipped by 3.4%. The automaker disclosed the preliminary figures in a LinkedIn post ahead of its full delivery report, scheduled for publication on Jan. 20. See also: Volkswagen U.S. EV Sales Rise in 2025 as Combustion Models Decline Europe was the main driver of the rebound, with BEV deliveries…

Mercedes-Benz will discontinue offering its certified Level 3 automated driving system, Drive Pilot, on the upcoming facelift of its flagship S-Class sedan, signalling a strategic shift in how the German automaker approaches vehicle automation. The company confirmed that the refreshed S-Class, scheduled to debut on Jan. 29, will no longer include Drive Pilot, a system that allowed drivers to take their eyes off the road under narrowly defined conditions. The same decision is expected to apply to the updated EQS later this year, effectively ending Mercedes-Benz’s rollout of Level 3 technology in its current passenger car lineup. See also: Everything…

Mercedes-Benz sold 197,300 battery-electric vehicles worldwide in 2025, down 4% from the previous year, as weaker demand for electric passenger cars outweighed growth in electric vans, the German automaker said. The latest decline follows a sharp drop in 2024, when the Mercedes-Benz Group’s battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales fell 22% from 2023 levels. With a further 9% fall year-on-year in 2025, the group delivered fewer electric vehicles last year than its Mercedes-Benz Cars division alone sold in 2024, highlighting continued pressure on its electric car business. See also: Everything You Should Know About Mercedes-Benz MB.Drive Assist Pro Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 168,800…

Mini said global vehicle deliveries increased in 2025, supported by growth in battery electric vehicle sales as the brand continued to expand its electrified lineup across major markets. The BMW-owned automaker reported worldwide sales of 288,290 vehicles in 2025, up 17.7% from the previous year. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 105,535 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 87.9%. Electric models made up more than one-third of Mini’s total deliveries globally and exceeded 50% of sales in markets including the Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden and China. See also: BMW’s Mini Launches 2026 Electric Cooper in China With Promotional Pricing Jean-Philippe Parain, head…

Porsche has acknowledged a misstep in its electrification strategy, with its former chief executive saying the decision to make the next-generation Macan an electric-only model underestimated changes in market conditions and customer demand. Oliver Blume, who stepped down as Porsche’s CEO at the start of 2026, said the company was wrong to phase out the combustion-engine Macan in favour of a fully electric successor. Speaking to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Blume reflected on Porsche’s 2019 decision to end production of the petrol-powered Macan and transition the compact SUV to an all-electric format. See also: Porsche Unveils All-Electric Macan GTS…

BMW Group reported solid growth in electric vehicle sales in Europe in 2025, even as overall demand weakened toward the end of the year, underscoring the region’s role as a key driver of the German carmaker’s electrification strategy. The Munich-based group said battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales in Europe rose by 28.2% year-on-year, although it did not disclose the absolute number of BEVs delivered in the region. Globally, fully electric vehicles accounted for about 18% of BMW Group sales last year. See also: BMW U.S. Battery-Electric Vehicle Sales Fall 16.7% in 2025 When plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are included, more…

Premium Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr plans to expand into additional European markets in 2026, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, and is considering launching extended-range plug-in hybrid models in the region, a company executive said on Friday. “When we look at the European consumer demand, the plug-in hybrid segment still … has a high share,” Lothar Schupet, Zeekr’s acting head of European operations, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Brussels car show. See also: Zeekr Launches 7GT Electric Sedan in Europe With 800V Charging and €45,990 Starting Price Schupet said Zeekr, which is owned by China’s…