Latest from Luca Ciferri
Following new EU tariffs, sales of Chinese-built EVs rose only 29 percent in the first quarter, about the same as the overall EV market. Overall, Chinese sales were up 78 percent.
A first European factory site could be announced by this summer, sources said. Capacity could be 100,000 annually, with a second factory to come later.
The PHEV market is surging for mainstream brands in Europe this year. Plug-in hybrids also avoid EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
The first Denza model will be the Z9 GT, with three motors and more than 950 hp. A plug-in hybrid model will follow.
The Stellantis subsidiary will equip the Junior small premium car with a system that couples a 136-hp, 1.2-liter turbocharged gasoline with two 29-hp electric motors.
Toyota executives say battery-electric cars priced at €20,000 that VW and Renault will launch have potential but the automaker is taking a wait-and-see approach to electrification in the minicar segment.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda, who wants EVs to be fun to drive, was the catalyst behind adding a system to the revised midsize SUV that replicates the feel of having a manual transmission.
Toyota should be able to meet Europe's CO2 reduction targets in the next three years thanks to new battery-electric cars, but says the 2025 pooling agreement with Tesla is a 'precaution.'
CEO Olivier Francois expects the Grande Panda to become the Stellantis subsidiary’s bestseller by winning over customers in Europe, South America and Africa.
One option would be to phase in the targets, while another would let automakers average emissions over a four-year period. The EU is debating whether to ease the 2025 targets.
