Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a product that packages a fuel cell (FC) system into a compact module; the company plans to begin selling it in the spring of 2021 or later. The new module will be easily utilized by companies that are developing and manufacturing FC products for wide... Read more →

Volvo Cars and Geely Auto have agreed on a wide-ranging collaboration that will maximize the strengths of the Swedish and Chinese automotive groups, delivering synergies in powertrains, sharing of electric vehicle architecture, joint procurement, autonomous drive technologies and aftersales. Elements of the expanded collaboration include: Powertrain operations to be combined... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Cummins Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engine systems. The companies added that other opportunities for collaboration are also being evaluated. As part of the planned strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of medium-duty engine systems... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Faurecia will collaborate on hydrogen storage systems for hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles. Starting at the end of 2021, Faurecia will supply hydrogen storage systems for a first fleet of light commercial vehicles. These systems will be developed and produced at its global center of expertise in Bavans,... Read more →

Arity, a mobility data and analytics company, is teaming up with Ford Motor Company to enable any participating insurer to deliver simple and secure usage-based insurance (UBI) programs to eligible connected Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners. Usage-based insurance programs give drivers access to personalized driving data directly from the vehicle... Read more →

Ford committed today that by mid-2026, 100% of Ford’s passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, and will be completely all-electric by 2030. Similarly, Ford’s entire commercial vehicle range will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, by 2024, with two-thirds of Ford’s commercial... Read more →

Ford has become the first US automaker to join the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), marking an expansion of the company’s commitment to safeguard human rights, communities where such work is done, and the broader environment.The BMW Group is also an IRMA member. Ford has also committed to lead... Read more →

Central to Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine plan is the electrification of both Land Rover and Jaguar brands on separate architectures with two clear, unique personalities. Jaguar and Land Rover will offer pure electric power, nameplate by nameplate, by 2030. By this time, in addition to 100% of Jaguar sales, it... Read more →

Chevrolet introduced the new, all-electric 2022 Bolt EUV and redesigned 2022 Bolt EV. In addition to broadening Chevrolet’s EV lineup, the Bolt EUV is the first Chevrolet to offer Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system for the highway. (Earlier post.) 2022 Bolt EUV Since its market introduction in 2017, global... Read more →

Hyundai Motorsport will soon participate in the inaugural all-electric touring car championship PURE ETCR, which will commence later this year, with its new all-electric high-performance touring car, the Veloster N ETCR. Like the i30 N TCR and i20 N Rally2, the Veloster N ETCR is based on a highly-modified version... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group’s software company Car.Software Organization will collaborate with Microsoft to build a cloud-based Automated Driving Platform on Microsoft Azure and tp leverage its compute and data capabilities with the goal of delivering reliable and safe automated driving (AD) experiences even faster and on a global scale. With the... Read more →

Kia has updated its Plan S strategy, underpinned by three core pillars: advancing electric vehicle (EV) transition; strengthening its purpose-built vehicle (PBV) business; and expanding future mobility services. Advancing EV transition. By 2030, EVs, HEVs and PHEVs will make up 40% of all sales for Kia, with an annual sales... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) plans to debut three new electrified models—two BEVs and a PHEV—in the US market this year. Toyota currently has more than 40% share of the total alternative fuel vehicle market, which includes a 75% share of the fuel cell market and a 64% share of... Read more →

Autonomous driving software company Aurora has entered a long-term, global, and strategic collaboration with Toyota and Denso, one of the largest global manufacturers and tier-one automotive suppliers, respectively, to build and globally deploy self-driving cars at scale. This collaboration has two primary goals: To develop and test driverless-capable vehicles equipped... Read more →

Audi has introduced the e-tron GT four-door electric coupé, which is coming to the market as an RS model at the same time. The 2022 Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT are expected to go on sale in the US this summer; the Audi RS e-tron GT will be... Read more →

Audi’s Neckarsulm site is the first automotive plant in the Volkswagen Group to use RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology for vehicle identification throughout the entire production process, thereby laying another cornerstone for fully connected production. An enhanced RFID data carrier is being used for the first time in the production of... Read more →

Daimler plans a fundamental change in its structure, splitting into two independent pure-play companies: Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, and Daimler Truck, which will be a spin-off the current Truck and Bus business. Daimler intends that a significant majority stake in Daimler Truck will be distributed to Daimler shareholders. The Daimler... Read more →

Kia Corporation has begun to lay the groundwork for its innovative Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) business, partnering with cold chain startup ‘S.lab Asia Inc.’ to break into Singapore’s last-mile delivery market. On January 28, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at launching a pilot project in Singapore using... Read more →

Orders for the all-new Nissan Note e-POWER have surpassed 20,000—more than double the compact car’s monthly sales target—since it was released in Japan in late December. (Earlier post.) Equipped with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain, the fully refreshed Note went on sale on 23 December with a monthly sales target of... Read more →

Ford and Google announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the transformation of Ford’s customer experience. Ford also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider to leverage Google’s expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). As part of this new, six-year partnership—and beginning in 2023—millions of future Ford... Read more →

Ford announced that Mustang Mach-E, its first global pioneering SUV built on an all-new, all-electric platform, will be manufactured in China by Changan Ford for local customers. Mustang Mach-E will become available in China later this year. Mustang Mach-E will offer Chinese customers a smart cockpit equipped with Ford’s latest... Read more →

Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory in Dresden has begun series production of the battery-electric ID.3. This makes it the second production site for the ID.3 and the fourth site in the world producing Volkswagen models based on the Modular Electric Drive Toolkit (MEB). Over the coming years, the former “Center of Future... Read more →

UK-based Watt Electric Vehicle Company has designed a state-of-the-art platform enabling low-to-medium volume manufacturers of cars and commercial vehicles to go electric without the cost burden of investing in their own specific chassis technology. The brainchild of Neil Yates, an experienced expert niche vehicle development professional and industry consultant, Watt... Read more →

The Volvo Group has created the new business area Volvo Energy to strengthen the Volvo Group’s business flow of batteries over the life cycle as well as the customer offer for charging infrastructure. Volvo Energy will be a business area with full profit and loss responsibility. It will have both... Read more →

GM plans to become carbon-neutral in its global products and operations by 2040 and has committed to setting science-based targets to achieve carbon neutrality. The company has also signed the Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5⁰C, an urgent call to action from a global coalition of UN agencies, business and industry... Read more →

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has set the goal to achieve carbon neutrality across the company’s operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050. “Life cycle” includes raw material extraction, manufacturing, use, and the recycling or reuse of end-of-life vehicles. As part of this effort, by the early 2030s... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has launched the DAL-e, a customer service robot that independently communicates with people using precise recognition capabilities and mobility functions. The DAL-e is an acronym for “Drive you, Assist you, Link with you-experience.” Designed to pioneer the future of automated customer services, the DAL-e is equipped with... Read more →

The 2021 Nissan Rogue is the company’s first global model built using a “closed-loop” recycling system for aluminum parts. The system helps reduce CO2 emissions compared with using parts made with primary alloys from raw materials. It also promotes the use of materials that don’t rely on newly mined resources,... Read more →

Cruise and General Motors have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles. Microsoft is joining GM, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to $30 billion. To... Read more →

Supporting Nissan’s goal of achieving 50% electrified sales in Europe by 2024, the new Nissan Qashqai will not only be available with a 1.3 DiG-T gasoline engine equipped with mild hybrid technology, but also e-POWER, Nissan’s non-plug-in series-hybrid electric powertrain in its European debut. The e-POWER system for New Qashqai... Read more →

Audi and FAW are forming a new new cooperation company for the future production of PPE-based electric vehicles in Changchun in the northeast of China. AUDI AG and Volkswagen Group China will receive a 60% share, making this company—founded for the local production of fully electric Audi models on the... Read more →

The United States has filed and simultaneously settled a civil lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor North America Inc., Toyota Motor Sales USA and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America for systematic, longstanding violations of Clean Air Act emission-related defect reporting requirements, which require manufacturers to report potential... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group signed an investment contract with the government of Guangdong Province to establish an offshore fuel cell system production facility in Guangzhou, China. The investment advances the Group’s global hydrogen leadership and supports its push into China’s rapidly developing hydrogen industry. Construction is scheduled to begin next month... Read more →

In France, Luca de Meo, CEO Groupe Renault, presented the group’s new strategic plan— “Renaulution”—which, among other more specific elements, aims to shift Groupe Renault’s strategy from volumes to value. In accordance with this value-driven organization, the company will no longer measure its performance on market shares and sales but... Read more →

Constellium SE is leading a new R&D initiative in France, Project ISA3 (Intégration de Solutions Aluminium pour Alléger les Automobiles (Integration of Aluminium Solutions to Lightweight Automotive vehicles)). In partnership with Groupe Renault, ESI Group, Institut de Soudure (Welding Institute), and the University of Lorraine, this ~€7 million project will... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems, a company delivering medium-duty electric truck and bus chassis and related charging infrastructure, secured $20 million in financing from Crescent Cove Advisors, LP. The initial transaction closed in December of 2020, with additional funding expected at the close of Motiv’s Series C round, which Motiv is in... Read more →

In 2020, Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered more than 212,000 electric cars in total (+158 percent versus 2019), including nearly 134,000 battery electric vehicles (+197 percent versus 2019). This brought the share of BEV and hybrid vehicles in Europe up to 12.4% of the brand’s total deliveries, up from 2.3% in... Read more →

General Motors has launched a new business, BrightDrop, which will offer an ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently. BrightDrop solutions are designed to help businesses lower costs, maximize productivity, improve employee safety and freight security, and support... Read more →

Via its subsidiary Pierburg GmbH of Neuss, Germany, the Rheinmetall Group plans to supply hydrogen recirculation blowers to Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, the company which bundles all of Daimler AG’s activities in the field of fuel cell technology. The deal represents sales volume in the two-digit... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Plug Power Inc. have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to launch a 50-50 joint-venture based in France by the end of the first half of 2021, targeting more than 30% share of the fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in Europe. Bringing complementary and competitive... Read more →

Archer, a manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) have entered into a definitive agreement to enable Archer to benefit from access to FCA’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience. The new partnership will help accelerate Archer’s... Read more →

China-based EV company XPeng signed a strategic cooperation agreement with leading domestic banks at a signing ceremony held in Guangzhou, China, pursuant to which it will secure a credit line of RMB12.8 billion (US$1.98 billion) with an extensive range of credit facilities. Under the terms of the agreement, five domestic... Read more →

Volvo Cars is tripling electric car manufacturing capacity at its plant in Ghent, Belgium as it prepares to meet fast growing demand for its Recharge line-up of chargeable cars. By 2022, electric car capacity at the Ghent plant will have more than tripled from today’s levels and will amount to... Read more →

Advanced engineering company D2H Advanced Technologies has delivered a project for a major vehicle manufacturer that solves a known charging issue with a production electric vehicle (EV). The company deployed its battery simulation and correlation capability to enhance battery thermal management in a fast-charge scenario, accelerating the solution development process... Read more →

General Motors and its joint ventures delivered 2.9 million vehicles in China in 2020. Sales were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first quarter and started to recover in the second quarter. Deliveries posted a strong rebound in the second half, led by SUVs, MPVs and luxury vehicles, with... Read more →

In a New Year’s message, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung outlined the company’s strategic direction and commitments for the year 2021 and beyond. Chung presented a vision for transforming the Group to a new growth engine by expanding market share in the eco-friendly market, securing future technology capabilities and... Read more →

The FCA Group will invest more than $200 million in its plant in Tychy, Poland, where new hybrid and electric Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo models will be built. The investment will involve the expansion and modernization of the FCA Poland plant and will last several years. The goal is... Read more →

In 2020, Tesla produced and delivered half a million vehicles (509,737 and 499,550, respectively), in line with it most recent guidance. In addition, Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, with deliveries expected to begin shortly. Tesla will announced net income and cash flow results along with the rest of... Read more →

The Volkswagen brand is significantly expanding the charging infrastructure at its German sites. Some 750 new charging points are planned for next year, including the first High Power Charging stations with up to 300 kW power. Some 2,000 charging points in total are expected to be in operation by the... Read more →

The last e-Golf has rolled off the production line at the Transparent Factory in Dresden. A total of 50,401 vehicles have been manufactured in Dresden since March 2017. At the beginning of the new year 2021, the production area of the Transparent Factory will be reconstructed for three weeks before... Read more →