Europe

TEL AVIV, Israel — To map or not to map? That is the question facing autonomous driving technology developers. Most use sensor data to compile detailed high-definition maps that chart roadway dimensions and features such as merging lanes, overpasses, signals and crosswalks. Others take a lighter approach, building maps that provide less detail. While these

Tesla‘s Elon Musk joined Apple’s Tim Cook, Mercedes-Benz Group’s Ola Kallenius and other car and technology company bosses in emphasizing the importance of maintaining ties with China in his first visit to the country since before the pandemic. Musk met with Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on Tuesday and said the interests of China

Bentley has named former Volvo styling head Robin Page its new director of design. Page will succeed Tobias Sühlmann, who will leave the Volkswagen Group subsidiary to pursue other opportunities, Bentley said in a release. Page, 51, will be responsible for defining Bentley’s design language as it transforms into an electric-only brand by 2030. Under

French brands Peugeot, Citroen and Renault and Italy’s Fiat benefited from a big rebound in rental cars sales last month in three of Europe’s most popular vacation destinations. Rental car sales in April rose 143 percent, 78 percent and 30 percent in Italy, France and Spain, respectively, according to an analysis done by market research

On June 13 and 14 in Paris, the 2023 Automotive News Europe Congress will host a series of top-level presentations, speakers and panel discussions on the theme of Making Sustainability Profitable. Speakers will include experts and executives from Renault Group, Toyota, Stellantis, Polestar, Ford, Hyundai and more. Join us in Paris to be part of

Washington in northeast England likes to boast of its U.S. connections. George Washington’s ancestral home lies at the heart of the old village; the family coat of arms greets visitors to the municipality; even the local golf club is named after the first U.S. president. Yet for all the historic affinities, government actions in the

Volkswagen Group and its Audi unit have agreed to an $85 million settlement in principle over violations of Texas environmental laws stemming from its diesel cheating scandal, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Thursday.  The settlement stipulates that the German automakers pay a civil penalty of $85 million for their unlawful actions, Paxton said. Earlier

Opel will be the only one of the 14 Stellantis brands at this year’s IAA auto show in Munich. Stellantis’ other European brands including Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat will not be present at the event in September, nor will its U.S.-based Jeep off-road marque. “No other Stellantis brand except Opel will be represented at the

In Italy, Stellantis is cutting jobs and being accused of skimping on janitorial work. In the U.S., it’s offering buyouts to scores of staff and has idled a Jeep factory. In Canada, the carmaker halted construction of a new battery facility, pending more government aid. And in the U.K., it’s warned Parliament that post-Brexit trade

MILAN — Renault CEO Luca de Meo said the European Union’s proposed Euro 7 emissions rules for vehicles would distract the auto industry from its path to electrification and thanked the Italian government for opposing them. EU countries and lawmakers are due this year to negotiate proposed new Euro 7 legislation that tightens vehicle emission

BERLIN — German authorities have serious indications of possible data protection violations by Tesla, Handelsblatt newspaper reported, citing the data protection office in the state where the carmaker has its European gigafactory. Tesla has failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees and business partners, Handelsblatt reported, citing 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked to

Stellantis has announced an investment in Lyten, a Silicon Valley startup that is developing lithium-sulfur EV batteries made with three-dimensional graphene that promise reduced weight, higher energy density and a simpler bill of materials. The two companies announced the tie-up on Thursday. They would not disclose the size of the investment, other to say that Stellantis

BMW will roll out at least four variants of its full-electric i5 as it expands the drivetrain choice of its 5 Series family. The i5, which will compete against luxury battery-electric cars including the Mercedes EQE, was unveiled on Wednesday along with its combustion engine sibling, the eighth-generation 5 Series sedan. The battery-electric i5 variants

LONDON — Britain is set to host a multi-billion-pound electric car battery plant from Tata Motors, the BBC reported on Wednesday without citing sources, saying the Indian company had chosen the U.K. instead of Spain. The boss of Jaguar Land Rover-owner Tata is expected to fly to London next week to finalize the deal, the

BRUSSELS — Volvo Group has signed a 10-year deal to buy half of the power produced by Sweden’s new Bruzaholm wind farm starting in 2025, the companies said. Swedish state-owned energy company Vattenfall will start construction of the wind farm with a capacity of 140 megawatts this summer. “The agreement signals our commitment to prioritize

The U.K. and the European Union will “soon” announce a solution on post-Brexit trading rules that automakers warn could lead to factory closures, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said. “This is not a U.K. problem, it is an EU-U.K. problem. It works both ways,” Badenoch told Bloomberg on Tuesday on the sidelines of the

Lotus and Renault Group’s Alpine unit have stopped collaborating on a joint sports car but haven’t ruled out future tie-ups, Lotus said. Renault in 2021 announced the collaboration with Lotus on an electric platform for the A110 sports car replacement, which was expected to appear by 2027.  “We have decided not to progress with the

As Volkswagen Group increases its focus on battery-electric cars, the automaker has given its Skoda brand responsibility for the future development of the group’s EA 211 series internal combustion engines. The engines will power 50 model lines across seven VW Group brands, including VW, Audi and Cupra. Skoda is typically handed group responsibility for older