VW says the production car will play a crucial role in bringing highly automated driving to the mass-market.

Daimler's decision to prioritize Europe for Mercedes EVs led to the automaker failing to achieve fuel economy targets in the two key markets.

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.

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.

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.

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.

CEO Herbert Diess survived a high-stakes drama about his future last week. A set of competing facts explains the conflict.

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.

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.

Volkswagen plans to drop the Passat sedan from its lineup in the U.S. and Europe, according to company sources.

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.

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.

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.

The automaker's finance chief, Frank Witter, told analysts that the company has set aside funds to cover the likely costs of the fine.

Peter Altmaier, Germany's economic minister, said Europe will have to produce nearly one-third of the world's battery cells by 2030 to remain competitive.