Christiaan Hetzner Former Automotive News Europe reporter covering the German market [email protected] See All Staff Page Recent Stories VW takes a page from Tesla on batteries In its goal to eclipse the world's dominant electric vehicle manufacturer, Volkswagen appears to embrace "if you can't beat them, join them." VW to unveil 7-seat ID6 electric utility at Shanghai show The ID 6 X and ID 6 Cross, each built by one of VW's Chinese joint ventures, are expected to play a crucial role in the world's biggest market as rivals to the Tesla Model X. VW teases electric flagship showing a sleek four-door fastback VW says the production car will play a crucial role in bringing highly automated driving to the mass-market. Mercedes misses fuel economy targets in U.S., China Daimler's decision to prioritize Europe for Mercedes EVs led to the automaker failing to achieve fuel economy targets in the two key markets. Mercedes doubles electric-only driving range of new C-Class plug-in hybrid Plug-in drivetrains will be relevant for many years to come because of their substantially longer electric range, said Ola Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes parent Daimler. Mercedes recasts C-Class as sportier S-Class The C-Class borrows heavily from the brand's flagship sedan, including a revamped cockpit and the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system complete with over-the-air software updates. U.S. was left ‘not aware' of ex-VW exec's early release Oliver Schmidt was paroled last week by a German court, less than halfway through his seven-year sentence from the U.S. for his part in Volkswagen's global emissions scandal. With EQA, Mercedes challenges Tesla, VW in compact EV segment The small utility vehicle, aimed at young, urban customers, is being launched as the EQA 250 with a range of 265 miles under the WLTP test standard. Output is rated at 140 kilowatts or 188 hp. Additional variants including all-wheel-drive models with higher output and longer ranges will follow. Future vs. fear played out in VW drama CEO Herbert Diess survived a high-stakes drama about his future last week. A set of competing facts explains the conflict. VW expects midsize EV to end range anxiety The vehicle, which is codenamed the Aero-B, will be based on the ID Vizzion concept car. It's expected to go on sale by 2023. VW targets Tesla with long-range EV battery technology The solution, which is being developed with the U.S.-based startup QuantumScape, uses solid electrolytes and lithium metal that the partners claim creates a denser, safer cell. If it can be industrialized at scale, the two companies could collaborate on a 20 gigawatt-hour factory. Crossovers claim another victim: Passat Volkswagen plans to drop the Passat sedan from its lineup in the U.S. and Europe, according to company sources. VW fixes software glitches in key ID3 electric hatchback The ID3 is a key launch for VW in Europe because it's the first of a new generation of affordable, long-range electric cars based on its MEB architecture. VW will ax Passat sedan in U.S., Europe, sources say Amid a steady, broad consumer shift away from cars, VW is dropping the midsize sedan to focus on EVs and utility vehicles, sources familiar with the brand's future product plans said. Why Chinese battery maker picked Germany for European production The news that Svolt will build a factory in Germany is a huge boost for the German state of Saarland, which suffered a blow when Ford said it would end production of the C-Max at its factory there. Load More
Christiaan Hetzner Former Automotive News Europe reporter covering the German market [email protected] See All Staff Page