Peter Sigal

The automakers formally agreed to a joint venture to build vehicles at Renault's factory in Busan using Geely technology. Sales at Renault's South Korean unit have fallen sharply in recent years.

The French supplier says its new systems will help to make "autonomous mobility a reality."

Aptoide, an independent Android app store platform, offers more than one million apps as well as secure payment and privacy safeguards. It is already used in VW Group's South American models.

The supplier debuted new versions of long-range and near-field sensors to enable autonomous driving, along with interior tech and 48-volt motorcycle and bicycle powertrains.

The new EV will be the "most efficient" Mercedes ever, the brand said without giving details. It will be the centerpiece of the automaker's stand at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. 

The partnership is critical as automakers grapple with a persistent shortage of semiconductors that control almost every function in today’s highly advanced cars.

Jochen Hanebeck, COO at the semiconductor maker since 2016, will succeed Reinhard Ploss in April 2022. Ploss, CEO since 2012, led an expansion that included key acquisitions. 

The technology, which replaces "wet" electrolytes with solid ones, promises better safety, longer life and vastly improved energy density, but huge challenges remain before mass production can start.

Analysts have dialed back their forecasts as the semiconductor shortage persists into the second half of 2021. Some are predicting a return to normal supply and demand only in the second half of 2022.

Before year-end, Stellantis will roll out its strategic plan, which is expected to give more clarity about several brands that had been starved of investment under FCA, including Dodge and Chrysler in the U.S.

Michael Lohscheller, who led money-losing Opel's turnaround under PSA Group, will be replaced by Uwe Hochgeschurtz, the head of Renault’s operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Starting in 2025, batteries and other EV components will come from Svolt's planned factory in Germany's Saarland region. Stellantis now has five battery sources ahead of an expected mass transition to electric vehicles.

Jeep touts "zero emission freedom" while Ram says it is "built to serve a sustainable planet." Dodge wants to "tear up the streets…not the planet."

Replacing side-view mirrors with cameras brings safety and aerodynamics benefits, but Mercedes will not offer them on the EQS, for a very un-technical reason: motion sickness. 

The C5 X marks Citroen's re-entry into the large sedan segment, dominated by German automakers.