Europe

LONDON — British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said that London had some concerns about the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act, which promises hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies to green industries. The European Union has previously expressed serious concerns about the $369 billion of investment to tackle climate change in the U.S. IRA, which

The latest ‘sphere’ concept from Audi may be the most advanced and utilitarian of the bunch. The fourth in the series of battery-electric vehicle concepts — a self-driving sportback crossover — can transform into a small pickup capable of carrying bicycles or other gear. And it features an augmented reality interface. The Audi Activesphere concept

Renault and Nissan plan to rejuvenate their two-decades-old cooperation with a range of industrial projects alongside an impending agreement to rebalance capital ties to improve a partnership that has become tense. The partners are set to work on five projects initially, people familiar with the situation said. One of them involves India, where the companies

Fabrice Cambolive has been promoted to CEO of the Renault brand, taking over from Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo, who had held both titles since July 2020. Cambolive will start in his new post on Feb. 1, moving up from his role as Renault brand’s chief operating officer. He will report to de Meo.

Magna International and contract manufacturer VDL Nedcar are interested in taking over Ford’s car plant in Saarlouis, Germany, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The two companies join China’s BYD in showing interest in the factory, which will have no new model when Ford ends production of its Focus compact car there in 2025.

Ferrari’s electric supercars will feature distinctive engine noise created through a new amplification system, according to a patent filed by the automaker and cited by analysts at Oddo BHF. The patent covers a “reproduction device for the realization of a sound that can be associated with an electric motor,” Oddo BHF wrote in a note.

PARIS — Renault will reposition the Espace as a five- and seven-seat SUV to be revealed this spring, after five generations as a minivan. The first generation Espace was launched in 1983, but in recent years sales fell sharply as buyers increasingly chose SUVs or crossovers over minivans. The Espace will be based on the

Auto retail giant Lithia Motors, which Sky News in August named as the unidentified bidder in a failed deal to buy Pendragon, one of the largest auto retailers in the UK, is in talks to buy a different dealership group, according to a Sky News report on Monday. Sky News, citing sources, said Lithia is

Hungarian protesters disrupted an event in the city where Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz plan a 7.3 billion-euro ($7.9 billion) factory, signaling growing opposition to the country’s single biggest investment. Residents shouted “traitors” at officials during a town-hall meeting in the eastern city of Debrecen, a stronghold of Prime Minister

Group Lotus has appointed former Volvo global marketing chief Mike Johnstone to lead the performance brand’s commercial operations, the company said. Johnstone has already taken up the London-based post, reporting to Group Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng. Johnstone joined Volvo in 2017 as head of the brand’s UK marketing operations before moving to oversee its global

Volkswagen brand is replacing its design chief, Jozef Kaban, with Bentley’s design boss, Andreas Mindt, according to company sources. Mindt will take up the post at VW brand on Feb. 1, the sources told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Mindt’s successor at Bentley will be Tobias Suehlmann, who currently heads exterior design at the

MILAN — Stellantis will halt production at its Sevel van making plant In Italy next week due to a parts shortage, unions said. The stoppage will affect most of the plant’s workers, FIM, UILM and Fismic unions said in a statement. Nicola Manzi, the local head of UILM metal mechanic union, told Reuters the shortage

BMW has expanded a deal with U.S. startup Solid State to add an R&D license that will enable the automaker to begin prototype solid-state cell production at its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center in Parsdorf near Munich, the automaker said in a statement. The automaker will begin producing cells in the first half of this year,

Ford will cut more than 1,000 jobs in Germany as it switches its business in the region to selling only electric cars. The automaker plans to reduce the workforce at its European headquarters and factory in Cologne, Germany, by a four-digit number, sources told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. The job losses will be

Germany for decades led on well-engineered combustion cars. It’s now facing a watershed year in the quest to retain an edge in the age of electric vehicles. Europe’s biggest economy is under growing pressure to retool dozens of fossil fuel-era factories employing tens of thousands of workers in a race for clean-technology leadership with the

Tesla needs to speed up production at its German factory after the automaker’s recent price cuts increased delivery times to customers, a local politician said. The expected delivery of the basic basic Model Y to customers in Germany is now February-March, according to Tesla’s website, as opposed to January-March before a price cut of 17

PARIS — The U.S. market will be crucial to Alpine’s ambitious revenue and sales goals, CEO Laurent Rossi said. The Renault sports car brand has aspirations to sell two models in the U.S., a midsize full-electric SUV and a larger, similar model, starting in 2027 or 2028. “The U.S. is the main destination for these

BERLIN — Northvolt believes in Germany as an industrial location and continues discussions on building a battery plant there, it said on Wednesday amid speculation that the Swedish battery maker could divert its planned investment to the U.S. The $369-billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act passed last year prompted companies including Northvolt to rethink planned investments