Tag: VW

Mercedes-Benz EQC, VW’s battery factory, Hyundai’s electric sports car: Today’s Car News

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 – first drive – Norway, May 2019
We're among the first to drive the Mercedes-Benz EQC. Volkswagen plans to invest $1.1 billion in a new battery factory in Germany. Hyundai and Kia invest $80 million in Croatian EV startup Rimac. And our Twitter poll asks how EV drivers should contribute to road maintenance. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

In a first drive outside of Oslo (practically native habitat for luxury electric cars), the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV proved itself among the quietest and most luxurious EVs we've driven. But solid range measurements remained elusive.

As VW and other German automakers are scrambling to build local battery supplies in Europe, the country's largest automaker announced plans to build a new battery factory—along with a partner—in its home state of Lower Saxony.

Korean auto giant Hyundai, along with its sister company Kia, gave Croatian EV sports-car startup Rimac a big boost in its bid to become a Tier 1 supplier of electric drivetrain components to the auto industry, with a big investment and plans for a new Korean electric sports car.

Our Twitter poll this week asks our readers how electric-car drivers should contribute to road maintenance, traditionally funded by state gas taxes.

Volkswagen also previewed a new digital dashboard for its upcoming 2020 redesign of the Golf.

Finally, the NHTSA will give up on new requirements, first adopted in light of the Toyota unintended acceleration problem in 2011, to require brake override software on new cars.

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Volvo Car Group signs multi-billion dollars battery supply deals

SHANGHAI, May 15 (Xinhua) — Volvo Car Group announced on Wednesday that it signed long-term agreements with leading battery makers CATL and LG Chem to ensure the multi-billion dollars supply of lithium-ion batteries over the coming decade for next-generation Volvo and Polestar models.

The agreements cover the global supply of battery modules for all models on the upcoming SPA2 and the existing CMA modular vehicle platforms and represent a major step toward realizing Volvo Cars' ambitious electrification strategy.

In 2017, Volvo Cars made the commitment that all new Volvo cars launched from 2019 would be electrified. The company stated that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50 percent of its global sales volume by 2025.

“The future of Volvo Cars is electric, and we are firmly committed to moving beyond the internal combustion engine,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars. “Today's agreements with CATL and LG Chem demonstrate how we will reach our..

Driving the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC All-Electric Luxury SUV

OSLO, Norway—We’re making our way back to the hotel after a rainy day of driving and otherwise being indoctrinated to the key elements of the all-new, all-electric 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4Matic. As the traffic slows, we get a chance to glance at the cars passing by us on their way out of Oslo’s city… Continue reading Driving the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC All-Electric Luxury SUV

Volvo inks multi-billion dollar EV battery supply deals with LG Chem, CATL

Swedish carmaker Volvo said on Wednesday it had signed long-term battery supply deals with two Asian battery makers, South Korea’s LG Chem and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL).Volvo, owned by China’s Geely, is launching electric-vehicle (EV) models under Volvo and its sub-brand Polestar as it takes on global peers including Volkswagen, Tesla and General Motors in the increasingly competitive market for electric vehicles (EVs).

Controversial deal: Competitor at the factory site: Segula threatens to displace Opel engineers

Protests against sales plans at Opel Employees of Opel demonstrate at the headquarters Rüsselsheim against Segula. (Photo: AP) MunichOn 6 May, more than 1,700 engineers and technicians were received in the OpelDevelopment Center ITEZ in Rüsselsheim are busy, an unpleasant email from their employer. In the best of bureaucratic German, management informed them that their… Continue reading Controversial deal: Competitor at the factory site: Segula threatens to displace Opel engineers

Bentley boss: government must take decisive action to drive EV take-up

Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark has called on the UK government and regulators to make clearer, more decisive pronouncements if they want car buyers to switch to electrified vehicles. Speaking at the FT Future of the Car summit, Hallmark highlighted that the most significant growth for diesel in the past was directly related to the government… Continue reading Bentley boss: government must take decisive action to drive EV take-up

UPDATE 1-Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally -CFO

FILE PHOTO: A Lincoln car with self-driving equipment developed by Ford and Baidu is seen at a product launching event in Shanghai, China April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Yilei Sun/File Photo (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co plans to start production of new luxury Lincoln models in China for that market as they are launched, starting with the… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally -CFO

Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally -CFO

May 15 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co plans to start production of new luxury Lincoln models in China for that market as they are launched, starting with the new Corsair later this year, to benefit from lower costs and avoid the risk of tariffs, a top executive said on Monday. “It’s a huge, huge opportunity… Continue reading Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally -CFO