Europe

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz Vans and Rivian have signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint venture to produce electric vans in a factory in central or eastern Europe within the next few years, Mercedes-Benz Vans said on Thursday. The companies are planning ways to produce both of their models on a joint production line, Mercedes

Magna Steyr, the Austria-based contract manufacturer, is mulling the construction of its first plant in the U.S., Kurt Bachmaier, the company’s vice president, said. “We want to enter the U.S. market. We are intensively looking for a location right now,” Bachmaier told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Bachmaier did not disclose where Magna Steyr

Stellantis has named Chris Taylor, a longtime information technology executive, to the new position of chief digital officer “to help lead Stellantis’ transformation into a sustainable mobility tech company.” Taylor, most recently chief transformation officer at ServiceNow, a U.S.-based software company, will report to Xavier Chereau, chief human resources and transformation officer, and Ned Curic,

AvtoVAZ, Russia’s biggest automaker, increased its share of the local market last month despite failing to overcome a decline in annual sales, while Chinese companies also took advantage of an exodus of western companies. Almost all automakers working in Russia stopped production in the country after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine led to sanctions

The UK’s new-car registrations rose 1.2 percent in August, ending five-straight months of declines, as growth was largely boosted by demand for full-electric vehicles, according to industry data. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement on Monday that registrations in August, which is considered the second quietest month of the

German car sales rose 3 percent in August despite ongoing production challenges due to a shortage of components such as semiconductors. The result marked the first rise in monthly market sales since February. Registrations for the month were 199,183, data from the KBA motor transport authority showed on Monday. Stellantis’ DS premium brand was the

WASHINGTON — Electric vehicles, although subject to unique crashworthiness challenges, can generally lean on crash tests designed for vehicles with internal combustion engines. Whether a vehicle is powered by a combustion engine, a battery or a combination of the two, the stored energy poses a potential safety hazard in a crash and, therefore, certain precautions

TOKYO – Toyota is stepping up its transition from internal combustion engines to battery-powered cars by converting powertrain plants in Japan into battery production sites. The overhauls are part of the $5.6 billion investment plan announced this week by the automaker. The Shimoyama engine plant and the Myochi powertrain factory, both near Toyota’s global headquarters,

The Federal Court of Australia has ordered Mercedes-Benz to pay a A$12.5 million ($8.49 million) fine for failing to communicate to customers the urgency in recalling its “potentially deadly” airbags, the country’s competition regulator said. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a statement that the automaker admitted it had breached the country’s

Volvo’s August sales fell by 4.6 percent to 43,666 vehicles as the global semiconductor shortage and other disruptions continued to hurt deliveries, the automaker said in a statement. Demand remained good, but the component shortages as well as power cuts and COVID-19 outbreaks in China interrupted output, the company said. Volvo said on Thursday it

Sales of AvtoVAZ’s Lada cars rose sharply in August as the industry continues to grapple with the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The brand said it sold 18,087 passenger cars during the month – up 75 percent on July. While sales were down 7 percent compared with August 2021, it was the best monthly

Volkswagen Group, Bosch and Foxconn are keeping their workers on-site in their factories in Chengdu after the Chinese metropolis locked down its 21 million residents to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. The automaker’s factory, jointly operated with its local partner FAW, entered a so-called “closed loop system” Thursday evening to maintain production, a company representative said

PARIS — Citroen and Polestar have settled a trademark dispute over logos that prevented the Swedish electric car brand from selling vehicles in France since 2020. Citroen had argued successfully in a French court that Polestar’s logo resembled its historic “double chevron” design that it has used since 1919 as well as the logo of

Porsche is planning a big new hire in the lead up to its probable initial public offering. The Volkswagen Group-owned sports-car maker intends to appoint Sajjad Khan to its executive board, according to an emailed statement. Khan was chief technology officer at rival Mercedes-Benz until a year ago, when he left to start a venture

BMW has started producing the fuel-cell systems for its hydrogen-powered iX5 crossover, moving forward with a climate-friendly alternative fuel that its German rivals don’t expect to be viable in passenger cars. “Hydrogen will become more relevant in individual mobility due to its advantages,” CEO Oliver Zipse said Wednesday at an opening event for the production

Bosch Group said it will invest more than $200 million to produce fuel cell stacks in the U.S. as the German supplier accelerates its transition to electrification. Bosch said on Wednesday that it will expand its existing Anderson facility, South Carolina, to support fuel cell production, which is planned to start in 2026 creating at

PRAGUE — Skoda’s Vision 7S concept previews the biggest of three all-electric cars the brand plans to launch by 2026. The seven-seat crossover features a fresh design language and a new brand identity that Skoda said will better help differentiate it from rivals and other Volkswagen Group brands. Unveiling the Vision 7S here on Tuesday, Skoda

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway slightly trimmed its stake in Chinese automaker BYD, just over a month after speculation that the legendary U.S. investor was preparing to shed his entire position sent BYD’s stock plummeting. Berkshire cut its holding in BYD’s Hong Kong-listed shares to 19.92 percent from 20.04 percent on Aug. 24, according to an