Europe

MADRID — Tesla is in talks with the leaders of the regional government of Valencia in Spain to build a car factory, the Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias reported, citing unidentified sources close to the discussions. The company’s total investment in the factory could surpass 4.5 billion euros ($4.83 billion), the newspaper said in its report

The Chinese premium EV brand Nio will launch a station wagon version of the ET5 sedan in Europe by the end of this year, a source with knowledge of the matter has told Automotive News Europe. The ET5 Touring, which would be a rival to the coming BMW i5 Touring, was spied on a photo

Skoda has said it will not replace its Fabia Combi small wagon as originally planned, citing the coming Euro 7 emissions regulations. In 2020, Thomas Schaefer, who was Skoda’s CEO at the time and is now head of the Volkswagen brand, announced that Skoda would replace the Fabia wagon with a launch date of this

Mercedes-Benz has signed an agreement with H2 Green Steel, a Swedish start-up, to provide 50,000 tons of low-carbon dioxide steel for the automaker’s assembly plants in Europe and North America. Mercedes took an equity stake in H2 Green Steel in 2021, and the new agreement expands the strategic partnership with the aim of establishing a

Stellantis has reshuffled its top executive team on the operational and brand level, with the changes being led by new responsibilities for Chief Technology Officer Ned Curic, who becomes chief engineering and technology officer, with responsibility for research and development. Curic, who started his stint at Stellantis in August 2021, will replace engineering chief Harald

SHANGHAI — Volkswagen Group’s Chinese joint venture with SAIC has transformed one of its plants in Shanghai for production, research and development of electric vehicles, VW said. Production of internal combustion engine models at the main plant of SAIC Volkswagen in Anting of Shanghai will be relocated to other plants, VW said in an emailed

Ferrari has no plans to purchase other sports car makers, the company’s CEO Benedetto Vigna said on Monday. “I don’t think it makes sense for us to buy other supercar makers,” Vigna said during a conference organized by Bloomberg, replying to a question about possible M&A operations by the Italian company. “Ferrari is a high luxury

One of China’s top battery-makers reckons it has cracked a technology to provide even cheaper and more powerful packs for electric vehicles. Gotion recently unveiled a lithium-iron-manganese-phosphate battery — LMFP for short — which it says will power an EV for 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on each charge. Until now, it’s largely the more expensive

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California — Volkswagen will add a long-wheelbase three-row version of the ID Buzz full-electric van to its European and North American lineups in 2024. The retro-styled ID Buzz, based on the VW Group’s MEB platform, debuted in Europe last year in passenger and commercial versions.  Buyers will have a choice of a rear-mounted,

PARIS — Renault could face prosecution in France over faulty engines as a group of customers plans to lodge a criminal complaint against the automaker next week, the group’s lawyer said. “We are going to file a complaint on Monday on behalf of at least several dozen people,” Christophe Leguevaques told Reuters on Friday, adding

Europe’s car-financing businesses are trading in their cheap bonds for more expensive debt — which means higher car loan rates for customers. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and others sold 8.45 billion euros ($9 billion) in bonds in European markets last month, marking the biggest month for auto debt issuance in six years, according to data compiled by

China is poised to extend incentives for EV purchases as part of broader efforts to shake off a sluggish post-pandemic period. The foundation for China’s economic recovery is not yet solid, the nation’s state radio reported late Friday, citing a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang. China will therefore extend and optimize new-energy

The chance to name a new car is precious, a billion-dollar branding exercise with decades of potential staying power. Many vehicles have names that have been around for 20-plus years — even when the underlying car has changed. The Porsche 911 was introduced in 1965, one year after Toyota unveiled its first Corolla. Making its

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is considering raising funds for the maker of London’s iconic black cabs, people familiar with the matter said, as the Chinese automaker looks to bolster its electric fleet. Geely may seek about 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) from private investors for London Electric Vehicle Company, the people said, asking not to

Chinese automakers are becoming stronger than ever. At home they have steadily gained market share from their international competitors over the past three years. BYD and several Chinese electric vehicle startups have made significant progress in capturing market share by offering competitively priced electrified models. By contrast, non-Chinese legacy automakers have experienced a decline in

Stellantis will invest 160 million euros ($176 million) to prepare its factory in Rennes, western France, to build the next Citroen compact SUV, which will be mostly sold as a full-electric vehicle when it is launched in 2025, the automaker said. Stellantis will use the investment to set up a battery assembly workshop as well

As Chinese automakers including BYD and Nio look to expand in Europe, the region’s incumbents are divided over how Brussels ought to respond. Carlos Tavares, who heads Fiat and Peugeot maker Stellantis, warned Tuesday that competition will be fierce given the head start China has jumped out to in building batteries and affordable electric vehicles.

MILAN — Stellantis has expanded its family of battery-electric microcars with the debut of the Fiat Topolino. Fiat revealed the car’s name and a photo Wednesday but provided no technical details or the car’s price. The quadricycle is a close sibling to the Citroen Ami and the Opel Rocks-e. The Citroen Ami quadricycle was unveiled