VW Builds One Millionth Atlas in Chattanooga Plant
Volkswagen celebrated the production of its one‑millionth Atlas family SUV at the Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, a milestone reached after a decade of assembly that began in 2016. The achievement underscores the model’s strong U.S. demand, with over 100,000 units sold in 2025 and accounting for roughly one‑third of all VW sales in the country. VW also announced the all‑new 2027 Atlas will hit U.S. dealers this autumn, followed by a second‑generation Atlas Cross Sport. The Chattanooga facility now employs close to 4,000 workers, highlighting VW’s long‑term investment in American manufacturing.
Volvo Group Picks Lirmann to Head Mack Trucks
Volvo Group announced Wilson Lirmann will become President of Mack Trucks on August 1, 2026, succeeding long‑time leader Stephen Roy, who is retiring after nearly 25 years. Lirmann arrives from Volvo Trucks Latin America, where he has overseen the brand and regional...
VW Debuts Four Premieres at Auto China 2026
Volkswagen Group announced at Auto China 2026 that it will launch 20 new smart electric vehicles in China this year, aiming for 50 electrified models by 2030. The company unveiled four global premieres: the ID. AURA T6 midsize electric SUV, the ID. UNYX 09...
Cellcentric Launches 375 kW Truck Fuel Cell System
cellcentric introduced the BZA375, a 375 kW heavy‑duty fuel‑cell system weighing under 500 kg, at Hannover Messe 2026. The single‑module design replaces the twin‑stack BZA150, delivering 20% lower hydrogen consumption and 40% higher power density. It fits 13‑litre diesel engine bays, targets...
Tata & Iveco’s 2026 Outlook Dampened by Middle East Conflict
Automotive World projects Tata Motors Ltd., including its Iveco commercial‑vehicle arm, to produce about 565,500 units in 2026, a modest 2.2% rise over 2025. The forecast is tempered by the ongoing Middle East conflict, which could curb freight volumes, lift...
TML & Iveco Profile and Production Forecast to 2030
Automotive World released a detailed outlook for Tata Motors Limited (TML) and Iveco, projecting production volumes through 2030. The forecast shows Tata Motors expanding its passenger‑car and electric‑vehicle output, while Iveco’s commercial‑vehicle lines are expected to grow modestly, driven by...
FT: Nissan, Chery Explore Unused Capacity Deal at Sunderland
Japanese automaker Nissan is in talks with Chinese manufacturer Chery to use idle capacity at its Sunderland, UK plant. Sources cited by the Financial Times say discussions have begun, though neither company has confirmed a deal. The Sunderland facility, capable...
TomTom Promotes Mike Schoofs to Chief Executive Role
TomTom announced the promotion of long‑time chief revenue officer Mike Schoofs to chief executive, a move approved by shareholders at the April 16 annual general meeting in Amsterdam. Schoofs, who joined the company in 2005 and has led its global...
MAN Expands Mexican Footprint with Querétaro Office
MAN Truck & Bus opened a new sales office in Querétaro, Mexico, to back its Lion’s Chassis CO bus platforms and TGX cab‑over tractor units. Pedro Teixeira was appointed brand manager and the office operates alongside distribution partner Volkswagen Truck & Bus...
GM Details Unified Camera Stack for Driver Assist
General Motors unveiled a unified vehicle‑anchored geometry platform that powers its Top‑Down View and Transparent Trailer driver‑assist systems. By treating wide‑angle cameras as geometric sensors and projecting their pixels into a common rear‑bumper‑ground frame, the stack delivers consistent perception across...
Xpeng Pushes Physical AI Pitch at Beijing Auto Show
Xpeng will use the Beijing Auto Show opening on April 24, 2026 to rebrand itself as a “Physical AI” group that unites intelligent driving, humanoid robotics and aerial mobility under a single technology stack. The company highlighted its VLA 2.0 intelligent‑driving...
Infiniti QX65 Assembly Begins at Nissan’s Smyrna Plant
Nissan has begun assembling the all‑new 2027 Infiniti QX65 at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant, bringing the luxury brand’s U.S. production share to two‑thirds. The two‑row midsize SUV will arrive at dealerships in early summer 2026 with a base price of...
Audi, SAIC Plan Four New AUDI Models for China
Audi and SAIC Motor have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to deepen their China partnership. The deal creates a dedicated Audi Innovation & Technology Center in Shanghai, led by Audi AG, focused on AI‑driven smart cabins and advanced driver‑assistance systems...
Daimler Buses Backs Charging Services with €200m
Daimler Buses announced up to €200 million (≈US$216 million) investment in its European service network, emphasizing charging infrastructure and a new Omniplus Charge sub‑brand. The rollout includes a multilingual hotline, expanded charging‑as‑a‑Service offerings, and the upcoming test‑drive of its first battery‑electric eCoach...
Former NSA Chief Joins Einride as Defence Push Grows
Einride, the Swedish autonomous‑freight pioneer, has added retired U.S. General Keith Alexander to its Board of Directors as it expands a dedicated defence unit. The move follows the firm’s first pilot contracts with a NATO‑allied defence organisation and aims to...
Valeo Opens High-Voltage Inverter Lines at Étaples
Valeo has inaugurated high‑voltage inverter production lines at its Étaples plant in northern France, designating the site as the national hub for inverter assembly. The “High Voltage 2025” project will begin manufacturing in 2026, with the first electric commercial and...
Rizon Expands in Québec as Écocamionnage Reopens
Rizon Truck Canada is opening seven new sales centres across Québec, covering Greater Montréal, Québec City and the northeastern region, to coincide with the reopening of the province’s Écocamionnage incentive. The program offers up to CA$100,000 (US$73,000) per eligible zero‑emission...
Phinia Pushes Multi-Fuel Injection at Auto China 2026
Phinia will use Auto China 2026 to showcase its upgraded 500 bar+ gasoline direct injection (GDi) platform, designed to meet China’s stricter emissions standards that take effect in December 2026. The company is also unveiling GDi M100 methanol and GDi E100 ethanol injection systems,...
BMW Launches Contract-Free Plug & Charge in Germany
BMW Group has introduced a contract‑free Plug & Charge service for its electric BMW and MINI models, allowing drivers to pay for public DC fast‑charging with a credit card stored in the My BMW or MINI app. The feature went live...
Vauxhall Adds Kerbo Charge to On-Street EV Campaign
Vauxhall has incorporated cross‑pavement charger specialist Kerbo Charge into its Electric Streets of Britain network, offering a £500 (US$675) discount on installations for EV buyers under its Electric All In program. Freedom of Information data shows 42% of UK councils...
Volkswagen Readies Bidirectional Charging for Germany
Volkswagen and its energy subsidiary Elli will roll out a fully integrated Vehicle‑to‑Grid (V2G) service for German private customers in the fourth quarter of 2026, with pre‑registration opening in June. The package bundles a bidirectional DC charger, smart meter, dynamic...
StradVision Wins India Commercial Vehicle ADAS Deal
StradVision has been chosen by an unnamed global commercial‑vehicle OEM to roll out its SVNet AI perception software across the OEM’s India lineup, targeting a fleet‑scale ADAS deployment. The platform will provide automatic emergency braking, forward‑collision warning and lane‑departure warning...
What Low-Volume Nissan Models Could Face the Axe?
Nissan announced it will trim its global lineup by 11 low‑volume models, reducing the portfolio from 56 to 45 vehicles. The move is framed as a “streamlining” effort to shift capital toward higher‑selling, higher‑margin products. Nissan also pledged to broaden...
Ford’s Farley Now Calls Chinese OEMs “Devastating” Threat to US
Ford CEO Jim Farley told Fox News that Chinese automakers would be a "devastating" threat to U.S. manufacturing and cybersecurity, warning that their entry would harm the country. At the same time, multiple reports reveal Ford is actively courting Chinese...
Renault Cuts up to 2,400 Engineers in ‘China Speed’ Campaign
Renault announced a global engineering headcount reduction of 15%‑20%, trimming between 1,650 and 2,400 positions from its roughly 11,500‑strong workforce over the next two years. The cuts will affect centres in France, Brazil, India, Morocco, Romania, South Korea, Spain and...
BYD Faces Forced Labour Allegations at Hungary Plant
China‑based electric‑vehicle maker BYD is under scrutiny after US nonprofit China Labor Watch documented forced‑labour indicators at its new construction site in Szeged, Hungary. The report, based on interviews with 50 Chinese workers, describes 14‑hour shifts, seven‑day weeks, wage delays...
Glydways Raises US$170m Series C for AV Network Rollout
Glydways announced an oversubscribed $170 million Series C, bringing its total capital to over $250 million. The funding, co‑led by Suzuki Motor Corporation, ACS Group and Khosla Ventures, will finance pilot autonomous‑vehicle networks slated for 2026 in the UAE, the greater New York area...
MAMO Strikes Preliminary AV, Robotics Deal with China’s AIBO
Massimo Group’s MAMO has signed a preliminary framework with Shenzhen‑based AIBO Robotics to explore deploying intelligent service robots in commercial and retail settings across the United States and China. The partnership also looks at AI‑driven upgrades for MAMO’s existing golf‑cart...
GAC’s AION UT Claims Segment Positions in Early Global Rollout
Chinese automaker GAC reported that its AION UT electric hatchback logged strong first‑quarter deliveries across multiple regions after its 2025 global debut. The model shipped more than 2,400 units in Thailand, over 700 in Mexico, and topped 800 in Indonesia,...
Duracell E-Charge Picks Paythru for UK Network Payments
Duracell E‑Charge has appointed Paythru to run payments for its UK ultra‑fast electric‑vehicle charging network. Paythru’s platform will process card, app and terminal transactions and aims for a 99.8% payment success rate, supporting Duracell’s 99% overall uptime target. The network...
Yunex Traffic UK Consolidates UK Operations in New Facility
Yunex Traffic UK has secured a up‑to‑20‑year lease for a purpose‑built facility at Bournemouth Airport’s Aviation Business Park, slated to open in 2026. The site will bring together manufacturing, research and development, and office functions for roughly 500 employees under...
Vector Informatik Expands CANoe EV with V2G Security Testing
Vector Informatik has broadened its CANoe Test Package EV to include automated security testing for electric‑vehicle charging communication. The new module covers vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) fuzzing, TLS 1.2/1.3 protocol checks, and Plug & Charge validation, aligning with ISO 15118‑2 and ISO 15118‑20 standards. By automating...
Volvo Trucks Unveils 700km-Range Electric Long-Haul Truck
Volvo Trucks introduced the FH Aero Electric, a heavy‑duty tractor with a 700 km (435‑mile) range on a single charge, slated for market launch in 2026. The model features a novel e‑axle that combines dual motors and a six‑speed gearbox, freeing...
Geely Launches AI-Driven I-HEV Hybrid with Record Efficiency
Geely Auto unveiled its i‑HEV Intelligent Hybrid, a motor‑led system that leverages Full‑domain AI 2.0 and the i‑CMA architecture to achieve a Guinness‑verified thermal efficiency of 48.41% and fuel consumption of 2.22 L/100 km. The AI Cloud Power module dynamically adjusts the petrol‑electric...
Nissan Reaffirms Infiniti as Luxury Growth Pillar
At its global Vision event in Nashville, Nissan announced a refreshed Infiniti strategy, positioning the luxury brand as a core growth pillar. The rollout includes four new models—a midsize hybrid SUV, a performance‑focused V6 sedan, and two large hybrid SUVs—starting...
China Leads Solid-State Battery Patent Surge in Q1 2026
Over 1,710 solid‑state battery patent applications were published globally in Q1 2026, with China responsible for 1,429 filings. Chinese automakers and battery makers such as FAW, CATL and Gotion posted double‑digit growth, highlighted by FAW’s 800% surge. On the grant side,...
XCharge Opens First European Assembly Plant in Spain
XCharge inaugurated a 3,000 m² assembly plant in Silla, Valencia, Spain, its first European manufacturing hub. The facility will assemble high‑power EV chargers such as the 400 kW C7 and the GridLink battery‑integrated solution, currently sold in North America. By localising production,...
Automotive World Forecasts Nissan Sales Comeback in 2026
Automotive World’s latest global passenger‑car registration forecast projects a notable sales resurgence for Nissan, Volkswagen and Chery in 2026, after recent declines. The outlook also predicts a broad dip in registrations across Asia and North America that year. Meanwhile, ongoing...
Bosch and Qualcomm Expand Partnership to Cover ADAS
Bosch and Qualcomm announced an expansion of their automotive partnership to include advanced driver‑assistance systems (ADAS), adding to a collaboration that already powers cockpit computing. The joint ADAS integration platform, built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Flex system‑on‑chip, will combine cockpit...
Waymo and Waze to Share Pothole Data with US Cities
Waymo and Waze have launched a pilot that streams autonomous‑vehicle‑detected pothole data to municipal transportation departments via the Waze for Cities platform. The program currently operates in five U.S. metro areas—San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta—where Waymo’s...
Hyundai Launches Ioniq Brand in China with Two Concepts
Hyundai Motor officially launched its all‑electric Ioniq brand in China, unveiling the Venus sedan concept and Earth SUV concept in Beijing ahead of Auto China 2026. The two designs showcase planet‑themed styling, premium interior lighting and preview production models that will...
Valeo Inaugurates ADAS Camera Production at Sanand
Valeo has inaugurated a high‑definition surround‑view camera production line at its Sanand plant in Gujarat, India. The line will supply advanced driver‑assistance (ADAS) and advanced rider‑assistance (ARAS) vision systems to domestic OEMs. It forms part of a broader Sanand expansion...
Stellantis Circular Unit Targets Third Dismantling Centre
Stellantis’ circular‑economy arm SUSTAINera reported a 51% jump in its reuse business for 2025 and is set to launch a third vehicle‑dismantling centre in a new region, adding to sites in Turin and São Paulo. The subsidiary’s B‑Parts e‑commerce platform now...
Honda Begins Super-ONE EV Pre-Orders in Japan
Honda announced that pre‑orders for its new Super‑ONE compact electric vehicle will begin in Japan on 16 April 2026. The model, built on a lightweight N‑Series platform, weighs 1,090 kg and delivers a WLTP‑rated 274 km range, positioning it among the lightest EVs...
PonyWorld 2.0 Adds Self-Diagnosis to Pony.ai’s L4 Stack
Pony.ai unveiled PonyWorld 2.0, an upgraded world model that lets its Level‑4 autonomous driving stack diagnose its own performance gaps. The system creates targeted data‑collection tasks for human teams, feeding fresh samples back into a cloud‑based training loop. Pony.ai says...
N. America, Asia Expected to Drag Down Global Car Production
Automotive World’s April 2026 update projects a modest contraction in global light‑vehicle output, driven primarily by weaker demand in North America and Asia. The forecast shows a 1.8% year‑over‑year decline, taking total production to roughly 85 million units. Declines are most pronounced...
Global Light Vehicle Production – April 2026 Update
Automotive World released its April 2026 update of the Global Light Vehicle Production dataset, covering more than 50 automaker groups, 140 brands and roughly 1,400 models. The release provides actual 2025 production figures and a forward‑looking 2026 forecast, downloadable as an...
Stellantis Italy Output up 9.5% but Recovery Still Fragile
Stellantis reported a 9.5% year‑on‑year rise in Italian vehicle production in Q1 2026, delivering 120,366 units, with passenger‑car output jumping 22% thanks to the hybrid Fiat 500 and the new Jeep Compass. The recovery is uneven; the Cassino plant saw a 37.4%...
BYD Expects Iran War Fallout to Drive Sales Growth in 2026
BYD says the Strait of Hormuz closure and soaring oil prices are driving a rapid surge in its overseas electric‑vehicle sales, prompting the company to raise its 2026 export target to 1.5 million units. While domestic profit fell 19 % amid a...
Kia Pushes Back SDV Launch and Lifts Investment by 30%
Kia has postponed its software‑defined vehicle (SDV) debut to 2028, pushing the timeline back by about a year. The automaker also raised its 2026‑2029 investment budget by 30% to KRW 41.4 tr (≈US$28 bn), including more than US$500 m for AI and vision‑language‑action models....