Europe

BERLIN — Europe’s automakers should stop using fossil fuels by 2040, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said. Discussions around a possible embargo on Russian gas after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have raised pressure on companies and governments to expand investment into renewable energy, with Mercedes-Benz promising new investments in wind and solar to help power its

PARIS — Renault said that “all options are on the table” for separating its electric-vehicle business, including a possible public listing in the second half of 2023. Thierry Pieton, Renault’s finance chief, said that any plans were subject to approval from its alliance partner Nissan, but made clear that the Japanese automaker “is in the

Renault Group is considering selling part of its Nissan stake, a move that could raise billions of euros for its shift to electric vehicles and ease long-standing tensions with its alliance partner, people familiar with the matter said. Nissan itself may be willing to buy some of the 1.83 billion shares in the Japanese automaker

BMW is exploring plans to build its top seller — the X3 compact crossover — at its underutilized Mexico assembly plant, according to a production forecaster who has familiarity with the discussions. The move would free capacity at BMW’s maxed-out U.S. factory to satisfy customer demand for its entire line of crossovers. Without revealing specific

BERLIN — Europe’s automakers should wean themselves off fossil fuels from 2040, Audi CEO, Markus Duessmann, said, calling for quicker expansion of renewable energy capacity in Bavaria, where Audi is based, and elsewhere. Discussions around a possible embargo on Russian gas in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have raised pressure on companies and governments

PARIS — Opel/Vauxhall CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz will add responsibility for bringing Stellantis’ hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to market, starting with Europe, the automotive group said. Stellantis has also named Jean-Michel Billig, a former executive at Renault, aerospace and defense companies, as chief technology officer for hydrogen fuel cell development. Hochgeschurtz was named CEO of Stellantis’

BERLIN — Continental cut its annual earnings forecast and warned of “lasting consequences” for production and supply chains if the war in Ukraine does not ease, with rising energy and raw material costs weighing on margins. The supplier nearly doubled its expected procurement and logistics costs in its tire and ContiTech divisions and cautioned tthat

PARIS — Citroen will end production of its last minivan, the Grand C4 SpaceTourer, in July after nearly a decade, as the segment continues to shrink.  The minivan was launched in 2013 as the C4 Picasso, and Citroen says that more than 730,000 have been sold. It originally came in both five- and seven-seat (Grand)

Tesla said first-quarter net income and revenues surged after the EV maker delivered record units at higher prices. The company led by Elon Musk posted net income for the quarter of $3.32 billion compared with a profit of $438 million a year earlier. Revenue was $18.8 billion in the first quarter ended March 31 from

BMW‘s flagship sedan, the 7 Series, has been given an ultraluxury redesign, along with a full-electric version. The 7 Series lineup includes a more powerful V-8 engine, a loungelike interior, and advanced driver-assistance technology. “The new 7 Series sounds the starting signal for our new generation of highly-efficient combustion engines,” BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse

FRANKFURT — Continental has temporarily resumed tire production for passenger cars at its Russian plant in Kaluga, it said on Tuesday, to protect local workers who could otherwise face criminal charges. Continental said the move was aimed at meeting local demand and in line with sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, which

McLaren Automotive is considering hiring Michael Leiters, the former head of technology at Ferrari, as its next CEO, according to people familiar with the matter.  Leiters stepped down from Ferrari in December as part of a leadership reorganization under new CEO Benedetto Vigna, and is one of the main candidates being evaluated for the top job

In a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday night on U.S. TV network CBS’ newsmagazine, “60 Minutes,” Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess spoke to Leslie Stahl about about the turmoil in Ukraine, criticism in China, the company’s electrification ambitions, competitive pressure from Tesla, which recently opened a factory on VW’s home turf, and the automaker’s challenges

SHANGHAI — Manufacturers including Volkswagen Group and Tesla began preparing on Monday to reopen their Shanghai plants as China’s most populous city accelerates efforts to get back to normal after a nearly three-week COVID shutdown. Still, most workers will have to live onsite, and there was no immediate word how factories will deal with disrupted

Volkswagen Group said on Thursday its preliminary first-quarter operating return on sales jumped to 13.5 percent from 7.7 percent in the same period of 2021, but the impact of the war in Ukraine and supply chain bottlenecks was still uncertain. “The effects of the further course of the Ukraine war still cannot be predicted with

Elon Musk has made a “best and final” offer to buy Twitter, saying the company has extraordinary potential and he is the person to unlock it. The Tesla CEO and the world’s richest person will offer $54.20 per share in cash, representing a 54 percent premium over the Jan. 28 closing price and a value

Stellantis will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis to power the automaker’s upcoming Brain and SmartCockpit technology platforms, the two companies said. The collaboration will include vehicles across of Stellantis’ 14 brands, starting with Maserati in 2024, Stellantis software chief Yves Bonnefont said in a media briefing ahead of the announcement Thursday.  By 2026, the technologies will

Germany’s economy ministry wants to end subsidies for plug-in hybrid cars earlier than planned at the end of this year and cut a cash bonus for electric vehicles by a third starting in 2023, according to a person familiar with the plans. The move is part of attempts to gear subsidies more toward climate protection