Globally, by 2025, Audi is aiming to have 30 electrified models on sale, with 20 of those vehicles fully electric. In the US, Audi has already introduced five production models: the Audi Q5 TFSI e, A7 TFSI e and A8 TFSI e plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) as well as... Read more →

Karma Automotive introduced the Karma E-Flex Platform a highly versatile chassis that will offer new electric vehicle mobility solutions ranging from autonomously-driven utility vans, to daily-driver vehicles, to high-performance supercars. Karma, the Southern California-based creator of luxury electric vehicles and high-tech incubator, said the first showcase of the highly-flexible platform... Read more →

Ford Motor Company, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will begin producing in Michigan the Airon pNeuton model A ventilator with the goal to produce 50,000 of the needed units within 100 days and up to 30,000 a month thereafter as needed. Established in 1997, Airon Corporation is a privately held... Read more →

The SEAT Leon line at the Martorell, Spain, plant is producing automated ventilators to collaborate with the healthcare system in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Going from producing cars to ventilators in record time is the result of the intense work of many SEAT employees. The motivation of everyone... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company will establish a Hyundai Mobility Global Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICs) to accelerate its innovation efforts, with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The new innovative lab will be located in Singapore’s Jurong Innovation District. HMGICs will occupy a footprint of 44,000 m2 with the... Read more →

The BMW Group plans to invest more than €30 billion up to 2025 in research and development to underscore its position as an innovation leader, said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, at the company’s Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich. Oliver Zipse, Chairman of... Read more →

At its annual press conference, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand touted its record deliveries of 6.3 million units in a declining market in 2019 and said that it is about to leap into the electric era. The ID.3, the first all-electric car based on the new MEB electric platform, is... Read more →

BMW eDrive Zones trigger an automatic shift to all-electric operating mode as soon as the vehicle enters a designated area, such as a low emission zone. BMW eDrive Zones are now available in various BMW plug-in hybrid models. In addition, the BMW Points loyalty program will be introduced later in... Read more →

Porsche has presented an innovative alternative to conventional bucket seat upholstery with the concept study “3D-printed bodyform full-bucket seat”. Here, the central section of the seat—i.e., the seat and backrest cushions—is partly produced by a 3D-printer. Customers will be able to choose between three firmness levels (hard, medium, soft) for... Read more →

Volvo Cars is significantly cutting CO2 emissions in its logistics operations by switching transports between its manufacturing plants and new car depots from trucks to trains. Especially in Europe, where trucks are still ubiquitous in transporting new cars to distribution depots and dealerships in individual markets, the company is in... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Financial Services Corporation launched a cross-Group virtual organization, Toyota Blockchain Lab, in April 2019. The Blockchain Lab has moved forward with initiatives for using blockchain technology including, to date, verifying the usefulness of the technology through demonstration trials, and global collaboration with Group companies. Blockchain... Read more →

At an event in the GM Tech Center campus in Warren, Michigan, General Motors unveiled the core of its new strategy to grow the company’s EV sales quickly, efficiently and profitably. The heart of GM’s strategy is a modular propulsion system and a highly flexible, third-generation global EV platform powered... Read more →

Volkswagen will launch the new ID.4 electric compact SUV this year. The ID.4 is the second model, following the ID.3, based on the new modular electric drive matrix (MEB). Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Operating Officer of the Volkswagen brand, says that the ID.4 will have a range of up to 500... Read more →

Volkswagen AG will strengthen Audi’s role within the Group. With Markus Duesmann as the new CEO, Audi will take the lead for research & development within the brand alliance. In the context of reorganizing competencies and responsibilities, Volkswagen AG plans to carry out a squeeze-out according to German stock corporation... Read more →

In the US, Model Year (MY) 2018 vehicle fuel economy was 25.1 miles per gallon, 0.8% higher than the 24.9 miles per gallon MY 2017, according to the annual Automotive Trends Report released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In model year 2018, the average estimated real-world CO2 emission... Read more →

Belgium-based Punch Group has acquired GM’s propulsion engineering center in Turin, Italy. The transaction between the two companies includes an engineering services agreement (ESA) to support GM’s global product programs through the end of 2021. Since 2005, Turin has served as a global center of excellence for diesel propulsion systems... Read more →

Volkswagen will introduce the new Touareg R with a plug-in hybrid drive at the Geneva Motor Show (5 to 15 March 2020). The hybrid drive of the Touareg R essentially consists of a 2,995 cm3 V6 turbocharged gasoline engine (250 kW/340 PS), the electric drive motor (100kW/136 PS) and a... Read more →

Lucid Motors announced a long-term partnership with leading EV battery supplier LG Chem for the Lucid Air electric sedan. Lucid Motors said that it selected LG Chem for a long-term partnership because its batteries provide the ideal level of efficiency, with those batteries further optimized by Lucid to meet or... Read more →

SAE International announced the launch of the SAE AutoDrive Challenge II through a continued partnership with GM. Participating university teams will develop and demonstrate an autonomous vehicle (AV) that can navigate urban driving courses as described by SAE J3016 Standard Level 4 automation. The competition continues the strong partnership between... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group and Canoo will jointly develop an all-electric platform based on Canoo’s fully scalable, proprietary skateboard design (earlier post) for upcoming Hyundai and Kia EVs and PBVs (purpose-built vehicles) (earlier post). As part of the collaboration, Canoo will provide engineering services to help develop a fully scalable, all-electric... Read more →

Volvo Car AB and Geely Automobile Holdings Limited are considering combining their businesses to create a strong global group, which would accelerate financial and technological synergies between the two companies. This would be a combination between two strong companies. Volvo Cars was founded in 1927 and is one of the... Read more →

Canadian battery material specialist Hydro-Québec is partnering with Mercedes-Benz as part of the automaker’s research and development activities on future EV technology. The Hydro-Québec Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage is a leading research and development institute for advanced battery materials, focusing on solid-state battery technologies. With... Read more →

Toyota, official partner of Energy Observer and an avid supporter of their project from the start, has developed a fuel cell system for maritime applications, with its first delivery destined for Energy Observer. Embarking in June 2017 from Saint-Malo Port in France, Energy Observer is an electrically propelled vessel of... Read more →

The Lincoln Motor Company is working with Rivian to develop an all-new electric vehicle previously announced as part of Ford Motor Company’s original investment in Rivian. (Earlier post.) Lincoln’s first fully electric vehicle will join the Aviator and Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid vehicles, further solidifying Lincoln’s commitment to electrification.... Read more →

General Motors will invest $2.2 billion at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs. GM’s first all-electric truck will be a pickup with production scheduled to begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a shared, electric, self-driving... Read more →

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Nissan Research Center report on their investigation of the internal reforming of ethanol fuel on high-performance metal-supported solid-oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) with infiltrated catalysts in a paper in the Journal of Power Sources. Dogdibegovic et al. Nissan’s public interest in ethanol-fueled solid-oxide... Read more →

Nissan and Uber have signed a deal to support the introduction of 2,000 all-electric Nissan LEAFs for drivers who use the Uber app. The fleet of 40kWh Nissan LEAFs, which can travel up to 168 miles on a single charge and are manufactured in Sunderland, will be offered to drivers... Read more →

WeShare, Volkswagen and ŠKODA’s free-floating electric car sharing service, is to expand into seven more cities in Germany and other European countries in 2020. Prague and Hamburg in the spring are to be followed by Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Munich and Milan in the course of the year. In all these... Read more →

Audi of America, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced plans for initial deployments of Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communication on northern Virginia roadways, employing advanced wireless communications to enhance vehicle safety by using the same portion of the 5.9 GHz band... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America and Aeris, a technology leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), have formed Ventic LLC, a joint venture that is the result of a long-term commitment between Volkswagen and Aeris in the development and operations of connected vehicle platform technologies. The Aeris mobility suite can be... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has invested in Software Motor Company (SMC), a Silicon Valley-based company developing reliable, efficient and intelligent motor systems. SMC’s electric motor system is based on switched reluctance technology, managed by advanced cloud software. The Smart Motor system partners a patented high rotor pole switched reluctance motor (HRSRM)... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Hydrogen Council Co-chair Euisun Chung has identified three key steps to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen society during the Hydrogen Council’s third annual CEO Meeting in Paris, France. EVC Chung opened the meeting stressing that there is “no shortcut to creating... Read more →

Toyota Motor Europe reported 2019 sales of 1,089,422 Toyota and Lexus vehicles, an increase of +5.2% from 2018. Total market share for the group rose to 5.3%, in a European market which was stable year on year. With more than 550,000 hybrid electric vehicles sold, representing 52% of the total... Read more →

SEAT, a Volkswagen Group company, has expanded the number of supply routes for the transport of components using duo trailers and giga trailers, the two longest types of trucks with the greatest capacity travelling on European roads. The Spanish company currently has two duo trailer routes that link the Martorell... Read more →

Audi is working to electrify one in ten parking spaces at its German plants by mid-2022; most of these charging spaces will be accessible to the public. This independent concept is the largest charging infrastructure project carried out by a German employer. The ~€100-million investment provides Audi with a head... Read more →

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) confirmed that it is in discussions with Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. (Foxconn) regarding the potential creation of an equal joint venture to develop and manufacture in China new generation battery electric vehicles and engage in the IoV (Internet of Vehicles) business. The proposed... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation today made a strategic investment of €100 million (US $110 million) in a new partnership with Arrival, a UK-based electric vehicle startup (earlier post). Of the total investment, Hyundai will contribute €80 million; Kia €20 million. Through the partnership, Hyundai and Kia plan... Read more →

Toyota is collaborating with Joby Aviation (Joby), an aerospace company that is developing and commercializing all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to enable the deployment of fast, quiet and affordable air transportation services. The collaboration reflects Toyota’s recognition of the long-term potential of the urban air mobility market to... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has invested in Alitheon, an optical AI software creator and deep-tech startup developing generative engineering software aimed at automating the product development process. All objects—even those that are indistinguishable to the human eye—have unique surface characteristics. Alitheon’s FeaturePrint technology uses off-the-shelf cameras and proprietary software to identify... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation announced details of ‘Plan S’, its mid- to long-term strategy aimed at progressively establishing a leadership position in the future automotive industry, encompassing electrification and mobility services, as well as connectivity and autonomy. The Plan S strategy outlines Kia’s shift from a business system focused on internal... Read more →

Global Automakers and The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers—the two largest automotive industry trade associations in the US—merged to form a new association leveraging the expansive history of both organizations while creating a single, unified industry voice. The new Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing innovative manufacturers and value chain partners who... Read more →

Volkswagen has opened a North American center of excellence for autonomous vehicle research and development under a new subsidiary, Volkswagen Autonomy, Inc. The new center is part of a global subsidiary, Volkswagen Autonomy GmbH, that will work towards making self-driving vehicles a reality at global scale. The center will be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) have formally established the global joint venture “smart Automobile Co., Ltd.” for the smart brand after receiving the regulatory approvals. The total registered capital of the joint venture will be 5.4 billion RMB (US$778 million) to transform smart into a leading... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company unveiled at CES 2020 its vision for urban mobility to help vitalize human-centered future cities. To realize the vision, Hyundai Motor showcased three mobility solutions, comprising Urban Air Mobility (UAM); Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV), and Hub, a place for mobility transfer and community activities. Based on these... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) will invest more than KRW100 trillion (US$87 billion) over next 5 years—KRW20 trillion (~US$17.4 billion) annually to enhance its leadership in vehicle electrification, autonomous driving and mobility services, said Euisun Chung, Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Group, at the company’s 2020 New Year ceremony at... Read more →

Under the Volkswagen’s latest plans, the company expects to reach its original strategic target of one million electric cars by the end of 2023—two years earlier than previously predicted. The Volkswagen brand now expects to produce 1.5 million electric cars by 2025. In mid-December at the Autostadt, the Volkswagen brand... Read more →

Toyota has launched a new program to license its Intellectual Property to interested parties. Toyota IP Solutions is intended to help promote and serve as an access point for the licensing of patents to US and global companies. Initially, the patent portfolios available for licensing will be in four areas:... Read more →

The Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with the intent to form a strategic alliance within commercial vehicles in order to capture the opportunities in the ongoing transformation of the industry. In a first step, the intention is to establish a global technology partnership and... Read more →

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and Peugeot S.A. signed a binding Combination Agreement providing for a 50/50 merger of their businesses to create the 4th-largest global automotive OEM by volume and 3rd-largest by revenue. The companies said the their gains in efficiency derived from larger volumes, as well as the benefits... Read more →

Following the successful launch of the YOUR NOW joint ventures in February 2019, BMW Group and Daimler are gearing up for the joint ventures’ next phase of expansion, which will be focused on profitable growth. The services offered by the joint ventures will continue to be tailored to customer needs... Read more →