Europe

TURIN — Stellantis has halted production at its van factory in Russia because it has run out of parts, the head of the automaker’s European light-commercial vehicle unit, Eric Laforge, told Automotive News Europe. Stellantis said earlier that it was suspending imports and exports of vehicles from Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine in February. The group

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron of France and his far-right challenger, Marine Le Pen, called the pay package of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares “shocking,” as executive pay becomes a hot topic in a tight presidential race focusing on economic issues. Just nine days ahead of a runoff that will determine who will lead the European

A self-driving version of the Volkswagen ID Buzz navigated real traffic conditions in Germany for the first time as Europe’s biggest automaker takes its autonomous-driving technology to public roads amid a push to lead on software. VW Group CEO Herbert Diess sat in the back seat of an ID Buzz prototype fitted with autonomous-driving tech

Porsche deliveries fell during the first quarter after outbreaks of coronavirus in China shut dealerships and a number of vehicles were lost at sea when a cargo ship caught fire and sank. The Volkswagen Group brand’s shipments dropped 5 percent to 68,426 vehicles globally during the first three months of the year after significant declines

FRANKFORT, Kentucky, USA — Envision AESC of Japan is staking a claim on the expanding American electric vehicle market with a $2 billion investment in a massive new battery cell and module plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The plant will supply Mercedes-Benz‘s newly launched EV production line in Vance, Alabama, 300 miles (483 km) away.

South Korean battery makers could raise prices by 30 percent to 40 percent to offset high commodity costs and they are in talks with electric vehicle makers over new long-term contracts, according to SNE Research. “We had a meeting with Korean cell makers recently that led us to adjust the outlook for prices of electric-car

As electric vehicle sales take off, the number of those EVs on the road is growing faster than the number of public charging points to support them. That’s one of the high-level conclusions from an in-depth study on the state of public charging infrastructure done by research organization Bloomberg New Energy Finance The number of

SHANGHAI — China auto sales plunged 12 percent in March as the country’s curbs to rein in COVID-19 outbreaks took their toll, while Tesla was among automakers feeling the pain of limits on production. Sales in the world’s biggest car market fell to 2.23 million vehicles in March, the first decline in three months and

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings is acquiring Tekfor Group in a deal valued at more than $135 million as the U.S. automotive supplier expands its electrification portfolio. American Axle’s purchase of the Hausach, Germany-based company, announced Monday, comes with 2,100 employees across eight plants in Europe and America. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals

Jaguar Land Rover has hired Thomas Mueller, a former Volkswagen Group executive and autonomous driving specialist, to lead the automaker’s product engineering. Mueller replaces Nick Rogers, who left JLR at the end of the year after 37 years at the company. Prior to joining JLR on April 1, Mueller was head of advanced driver assistance

Tesla will launch production of the long-awaited Cybertruck pickup out of its new Austin, Texas, factory sometime next year and is working on a dedicated “robotaxi” model using the company’s autonomous vehicle software, CEO Elon Musk said at an opening day ceremony for the plant. Musk, wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses, delivered the first

PARIS — Stellantis said it has sold its remaining 25 percent stake in the auto transport company Gefco to CMA CGM, a French shipping company. The remaining 75 percent of Gefco was owned by Russian Railways (RZD). CMA CGM said Friday that it had purchased “nearly 100 percent” of Gefco’s capital. The purchase price was not

DeLorean Motor said it plans to unveil its new electric DeLorean on Aug. 18 at the Awards Ramp at the Pebble Beach Concours d ‘Elegance. The company this week released a teaser image of the concept car, showing back taillight and left shoulder of the vehicle. The prototype will be revealed three days before moving

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz opened a new 200-million-euro ($217 million) software center in Sindelfingen, its latest investment in boosting in-house software capabilities as it works to bring its own MB.OS operating system onto the market by 2024, the automaker said on Friday in a statement. Around 750 of the 3,000 new hires the automaker plans to

Mitsubishi Motors said it had stopped production at a Russian plant in Kaluga that it owns with Stellantis until further notice, joining other major carmakers that have halted operations in Russia. “Due to the logistical difficulties, vehicle exports and parts supply to Russia have been suspended since March,” Mitsubishi said in a statement on Friday.

Bugatti has notified U.S. safety regulators that it is recalling a single 2018 Chiron model to inspect screws that fasten the front frame. Loose support could compromise the structural protection of the 1,500-horsepower vehicle and increase the risk of injury in a crash, the manufacturer told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall is

Volkswagen Group has opened the door for its Porsche and Audi brands to pursue separate entries into Formula One racing. VW Group’s supervisory and management boards are backing plans for the brands to potentially join the competition as early as 2026, VW said Thursday. VW Group has not previously been involved with F1 but has

TURIN — Lancia is preparing to expand sales outside Italy by appointing country managers, CEO Luca Napolitano said this week. The Stellantis brand will return to Europe-wide sales in 2024, starting with Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Other European countries could follow shortly after. Sales in overseas markets such as Japan, South Africa or