+++ The updated BMW i7 will be unveiled at the Beijing motor show on 22 April with a fresh look and key improvements to its electrical powertrain. The i7’s refreshed design is expected to bring it closer to the brand’s new ‘Neue Klasse’ models, the iX3 and i3, although it will be more conservative than those models in its transformation. The most significant change will be a simpler front-end design, with a squarer and more prominent grille, plus wider daytime-running lights. Its battery, meanwhile, will receive the cylindrical cells introduced with the Neue Klasse models but integrated into the same housing as the existing i7. The new cells will bring a 20% improvement in energy density, which should bring a corresponding increase in range. For reference, the outgoing i7 can drive up to 620 km per charge in its rangiest form. BMW has worked with Croatian firm Rimac Technology on the new i7’s high-voltage battery system. Mate Rimac, founder and president of the Rimac Group, said the revised electricals will bring “significant improvements in energy, range and charging performance”. The i7 is one of several BMW models due to be updated this year as the firm rolls out the Neue Klasse, the catch-all term it is using to describe a new approach to design, engineering and electrification. It has already launched the iX3 and the i3. They will be followed by the updated i7 and 7 Series, a heavily revised version of the combustion-engined 3 Series, and a new electric iX5. The 5 Series and i5 are also due to be overhauled. +++
+++ Affordable performance cars are becoming increasingly rare. Other than staples like the Mazda MX-5 and the Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ twins, there aren’t many options left for enthusiasts looking for something fun and reasonably priced. DODGE seems to recognize that gap. CEO Matt McAlear said he believes there’s still strong demand for an affordable performance car from the brand. McAlear explained: ‘Yeah, there’s absolutely a market for affordability. There’s a market for affordability in something that nobody else is offering and separates us from the pack’. While he stopped short of confirming a specific model (like a potential Neon revival) McAlear made it clear that fans are eager for something more accessible than Dodge’s current line-up. “I would love to see something happen”, he added. This isn’t the first time he’s hinted at the idea, either. Back in February, McAlear suggested there could be room for a €55.000 sports car (corresponding Dutch pricing), emphasizing that Dodge intends to keep growing as “America’s performance brand”. The most obvious idea would be to revive the Neon as a sporty, affordable sedan; something in the vein of the Honda Civic Si or Hyundai Elantra N. But if Dodge wants to compete more directly with cars like the MX-5 or GR86, it would likely need to go with a lightweight 2-door design. Right now, even Dodge’s most accessible performance offerings aren’t exactly cheap. The 2-door Dodge Charger starts at over €95.000 (corresponding Dutch pricing), which puts it well outside the “affordable” category for many buyers. To hit a lower price point, Dodge could look to its past for inspiration. Concepts like the Razor from 2002 and the Demon from 2007 explored the idea of lightweight performance cars with 4-cylinder engines; exactly the kind of formula that might work today. +++
+++ The HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP is ramping up efforts to develop the Saemangeum area in North Jeolla Province into a major industrial hub for robotics, AI and clean energy, in partnership with state-run financial institutions. On Monday, Hyundai said it signed a memorandum of understanding with major state-owned lenders (including the Korea Development Bank (KDB), Export-Import Bank of Korea, Industrial Bank of Korea and Korea Credit Guarantee Fund) to establish a financial support and cooperation framework for the project. The signing ceremony, held in Yeouido, Seoul, was attended by senior officials from the participating institutions, along with Hyundai Motor Group executives, including Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon. Under a public-private partnership, Hyundai leads the project as the anchor investor, building core infrastructure for the advanced technology and renewable energy industries. Policy lenders will support financing and expansion to foster a broader ecosystem of suppliers and smaller companies, ultimately strengthening Korea’s competitiveness in future industries. The KDB will lead overall financing and structuring, while the IBK will provide tailored funding for small- and mid-sized companies in the robotics and hydrogen sectors. Korea Eximbank will support global expansion through export financing and market networks and KCGF will offer guarantees to improve funding access and project stability. Chang highlighted the strategic importance of the region, noting that “Saemangeum offers the key conditions companies are looking for, including large-scale renewable energy capacity, tri-port logistics infrastructure and plans for a new city with a population of 700.000, all aligned with the government’s regional development vision”. He added that the participation of 4 major policy financial institutions just 38 days after the company’s investment announcement underscores the strength of public-private commitment to the project. In February, Hyundai announced it plans to invest 8.9 trillion won ($5.9 billion) for the Saemangeum project as part of a government initiative to expand productive financing and promote private-sector investment. According to Chang, the investment will be deployed in phases starting next year, to build a comprehensive ecosystem spanning robotics manufacturing, AI data centers, hydrogen energy, a 1-gigawatt-scale solar power facility and an AI-powered hydrogen city. For the robotics business, Chang said the company is currently focusing on detailed plans for development, mass production and scaling, with export plans under consideration. The company has since established a dedicated organization for the project and is working closely with a government-led task force to coordinate construction approvals, policy support and infrastructure development. +++
+++ KIA will launch a new small electric hatchback in Europe next year as part of a strategy to dramatically boost its EV sales mix in the region by the end of the decade. The new model, which is described as a ‘B-hatch’, is expected to be a similarly sized but lower-riding sibling to the upright Kia EV2, and serve as a rival to the likes of the Renault 5, Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa Electric. Kia says the new Europe-focused model (which could be positioned as an EV alternative to the Picanto and take the EV1 badge) will be the first ‘software-defined vehicle’ in this segment, referring to its strategy of centrally integrating all of the car’s core systems into one unit. It will use the same 400V E-GMP platform as the EV2 and is expected to share the taller car’s 42.2kWh and 61kWh batteries. That would give a range that’s likely to span from 320 kms in the cheapest variants up towards 480 km the Long Range car. Kia has given no concrete details of the hatchback, but it will be the firm’s cheapest electric car, with prices likely to start around €24.000 to line it up against its Renault and Stellantis rivals. There’s no word yet on where it could be built, but the company’s push to produce cars in the regions where they are sold means the EV2 factory in Slovakia is a likely candidate. The ‘EV1’ will be one of 14 electric vehicles Kia plans to offer across all segments globally by 2030, up from 11 today. That total is made up of 2 ‘passenger models’, 9 SUVs and 3 ‘purpose-built vehicles’ (commercial vehicles). One of the new SUVs will be a ‘flagship volume EV model’ launching in 2029, which, Kia says, will build “on its SUV heritage to drive trade-up demand from Sportage HEV and PHEV, as well as high-trim EV5 customers”. The new additions form part of a strategy to grow EV sales to one million units per year by 2030 for a market share of 3.8%, up from 250.000 and 1.7% in 2025. That goal is around 20% lower than it was in Kia’s earlier plans, in recognition that EV uptake is progressing at different speeds in different global regions, and combustion-based drivetrains still have a significant role to play in the coming years. Speaking at Kia’s annual investor day conference in Seoul, Kia CEO Ho Sung Song said the global electric vehicle market “is now entering the ‘chasm’ phase”, with growth slowing following an initial spike in demand during the early phases of the EV rollout. “To date, the EV market has been driven mainly by early adopters of new technology”, he said. “However, as growth has slowed relative to initial expectations, global EV penetration reached approximately 16% last year”. Song said that to overcome this ‘chasm’ and drive EV uptake, “the focus must be on improving affordability and expanding charging infrastructure in ways that deliver tangible value to a wider customer base”. Affordable models like the EV1 and high-volume mainstream contenders including the electric SUV in 2029 will play a significant role in this context, but Kia said it is also crucial that it “strengthens EV competitiveness by improving the overall product quality of our EV offerings”. To that end, the company will introduce a new platform in the coming years to replace the E-GMP architecture that underpins all of its current EVs. This new structure is said to bring a 40% increase in battery capacities, offer a 9% boost in motor output and be capable of offering ‘level-two-plus-plus’ self-driving functionality, whereby the vehicle can effectively drive itself with no human input, though the driver must remain focused at all times. The new platform will also accommodate what Kia calls ‘fifth-generation’ batteries (with 15% greater energy density and 30% cheaper chemistry) and contain an advanced new software structure that underpins a new infotainment system. It has not yet confirmed which models will be the first to use the new platform, but the Sportage-sized SUV coming towards the end of the decade is a likely candidate. While Kia invests in expanding and developing its EV line-up over the coming years, however, it remains committed to its global combustion powertrain offering and will “continue to expand our ICE and hybrid line-ups strategically, aligning with the pace of electrification in each market”. That is particularly relevant in the US and certain emerging markets, where EV uptake remains heavily constrained, but Kia still plans for electric vehicles to account for two thirds of all of its sales in Europe by the end of the decade. Song said that while “demand in the Western European market is expected to remain constrained through 2030”, largely because of the easing of CO2 regulations in the region, EVs are still forecasted to account for 43% of the local market by 2030, and Kia plans to far outpace that market average with a 66% EV sales mix, “underscoring our commitment to lead the European EV market”. +++
+++ Gilles Vidal, new head of European Stellantis design, has confirmed that MASERATI will reveal a new future-gazing concept car at the Paris Motor Show in October. Vidal told: “If you look at the history of Maserati, every 2 decades or so there’s a massive shift in the design expression. You had the curvy Maserati’s in the fifties and sixties, like the Ferraris and the Rolls-Royces of the era. Then it switched to super-edgy design in the seventies and eighties, and then it switched again. Now it’s back to curvy, but in a different way, yet you can say it’s a Maserati. “So, what we are looking at is what’s the next thing for Maserati. Because the current look is now kind of finished, and we’ve started looking into this. If you wait a few months, you’ll see what we are thinking”. This was later confirmed to be a concept car at the Paris Motor Show. The historic Italian brand has been under lots of scrutiny over the past few years due to sluggish sales. Its current model range has failed to resonate with buyers, across both its electrified and ICE ranges. To add insult to injury, the high-end car market’s resistance to EVs has subsequently quashed most, if not all of the brand’s momentum. It had planned for electric cars to be a major part of its future. As a direct consequence of this slow-down in EV development, Maserati has seen the cancellation of imminent product lines such as the all-electric MC20 Folgore, while it’s been rumoured that the next Quattroporte has been culled. These decisions have in effect halted the product plan in the short and medium terms, and with nothing in the immediate Stellantis portfolio suitable to underpin future models from the company, things have been looking rocky. The confirmation of a Paris concept car, however, shows that all is not silent at Maserati’s Modenese HQ. What the concept car will be is anyone’s guess at this stage, but expect a big departure from the neoclassical design language that’s been in play for most of the 21st century. But what do you think it could be? Supercar? Low-slug 4-door saloon? We look forward to finding out. +++
+++ MCLAREN will this summer finally preview its first new car since its bombshell merger with start-up Forseven, and the Woking firm plans to launch multiple models, all featuring combustion powertrains, by 2030. The previously struggling British sports car firm was bought a year ago by CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi state investment fund. It essentially merged McLaren with Forseven, which had been working in secret on developing a new line of vehicles, with the start-up’s CEO, Nick Collins, heading the combined operation. CYVN has invested around €1.8 billion in McLaren, which will allow the firm to grow its range beyond two-seat mid-engined supercars. Collins initially promised McLaren would outline its future product strategy in public before the end of 2025, but he said that was delayed for strategic reasons. Collins vowed that from this summer, McLaren will “start to unpack” the new plan in public. He also said full-sized models of every new car the firm will launch before 2030 have already been shown to dealers suggesting multiple cars are in the product plans. Any announcement is likely to be closely tied to the start of deliveries of the new W1 hypercar, the successor to the acclaimed P1. Collins said: “From this summer, we start to go external with our plans, whether it’s because we’re starting to deliver W1s or because we’re showing you product”. While Collins wouldn’t comment on what exactly the company will reveal this year, sources suggest that it won’t show a production model, but it will give a clear preview of its new-look cars. Notably, Collins told that McLaren will launch an electric car only “when our customers want one”, adding that “the market doesn’t want one yet”. This means the models in the product plan for 2030 are all planned to feature combustion powertrains, although Collins said the firm has the “flexibility” to adapt should market conditions change. +++
+++ RENAULT GROUP boss Francois Provost said the company may explore producing fully electric vehicles in South-Korea, signalling a deeper commitment to expanding local production beyond gasoline and hybrid models. Speaking at a press conference Friday in Seoul, Provost said Renault would “seriously consider” EV production in Korea. “In the coming years, we will see how we can enhance our credibility in the Korean market with full-electric cars”, he said. He stressed that Renault remains firmly committed to electrification despite a global slowdown in EV demand. “Customers who have experienced EVs do not return to internal combustion engine vehicles”, he said, adding that EVs will become a core part of Renault’s future business. Renault’s strategy in Korea, however, will differ from its Europe-focused push into compact EVs. Provost said upcoming models for the Korean market will center on mid- to large-sized vehicles, including electrified D- and E-segment models. Renault Korea’s Busan plant is already capable of producing EVs, having contract-manufactured the Polestar 4, according to Renault Korea Motors CEO Nicolas Paris. The company plans to meet near-term demand with hybrids while gradually shifting toward EVs. To support this transition, Renault aims to collaborate with local partners, including battery makers such as LG Energy Solution. Provost underscored Korea’s strategic role within the group, selecting it as his first overseas destination following the rollout of Renault’s medium- to long-term strategy, “FutureReady”. Under the plan, Renault has designated Korea as one of five global production hubs, alongside India, Morocco, Turkey and Latin America. Expanding the product lineup in Korea is one of the strategy’s three core pillars, with the company prioritizing market share gains over aggressive volume growth. Provost said the launches of the Grand Koleos and Filante were aimed at rebuilding Renault’s presence in Korea, noting that both models have exceeded initial expectations. He also reaffirmed plans to position the Busan plant as a key export base, with the company exploring ways to secure additional export volumes. Shipments of the 2 SUV models to the US are not under consideration. Following a visit to Renault’s domestic R&D center, Provost said the Korean unit could also emerge as a hub for autonomous driving development within the group. Provost previously served as CEO of Renault Samsung Motors from 2011 to 2016 and has since held senior roles, including group purchasing chief, before being appointed CEO in July last year. +++
+++ In SOUTH-KOREA , sales of imported vehicles rose 34.6 percent in March from a year earlier, supported by more working days and robust demand for electric vehicles (EVs), industry data showed Friday. New registrations increased to 33.970 units last month from 25.229 a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA). The 3 bestselling models in March were all from Tesla: the Model Y, the Model 3 Long Range and the Model 3 Standard. These care are manufactured in China and sold at discounted prices in South-Korea. Tesla’s sales more than quadrupled to 11.130 units last month from 2.591 a year earlier. This marks the first time a single imported brand has sold more than 10,000.units in a month in Korea’s passenger vehicle market. Sales at BYD Korea surged to 1.664 units from 10 over the same period. The unit of China’s BYD began local operations in January last year, with sales first reported in March. By powertrain, fully electric vehicles accounted for 47.8 percent of total registrations, or 16,249 units, followed by hybrids at 42.9 percent, gasoline models at 8.7 percent and diesel vehicles at 0.5 percent. This also marks the first time all-electric models have outsold hybrid models in monthly sales in the imported vehicle market. German automakers (Volkswagen Group, BMW Group and Mercedes) sold a combined 14,891 units in March, down 6.4 percent from 15.915 units a year earlier. They accounted for roughly 60 percent of imported vehicle sales in Korea last month. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN is kicking off its momentous new EV rush. The revamped ID.3 Neo, set to be unveiled next week, fires the starting gun on an intense launch period, with the ID.Polo, ID.Cross, ID.Polo and refreshed ID.4 all following in quick succession. Speaking at a preview of the new cars in Hamburg, Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer painted a picture of how the company (and its upcoming cars) had changed. He became boss in 2022 (”1.360 days ago!”) and recalled that, back then, the company was looking to him for its new direction. “You immediately see where things are not working”, he admitted. “It was clear to me that we were actually losing our core: what Volkswagen really stands for, the special Volkswagen feeling, for customers, for fans and for our teams”. Schäfer spelled out a long list of things VW got wrong with the original ID.3 and ID.4: exterior designs that were not “true Volkswagens”, unintuitive controls including climate control slider bars and the branding strategy, forsaking the names (and looks) of established models such as the Golf, Polo and Tiguan. He’s promising to right all these wrongs with the new-generation EVs. “We had to change ourselves, we had to create a new mindset”, said the boss. “We brought our management team together, all 600 of them, and I said: ‘Put all the numbers on the table, all the problems, no filters’ and we talked about where we wanted to go. I expected people to hold back, but people got up and applauded and said ‘we’re finally looking in the right corners’. I’m very happy to stand in front of you today after 1.360 days with a strong team and one clear goal: to build real Volkswagen models again, cars that carry the spirit of the brand”. Schäfer (and Kai Grünitz, the engineering boss who worked alongside him to reinvent the people’s car maker) have demolished VW’s macho culture, epitomised by egotistical leaders of the past such as Ferdinand Piëch and Martin Winterkorn. The diesel emissions scandal happened on their watch, with engineers told to meet incredible stretch targets or face the consequences. It led to a terrible corporate culture, which blatantly ignored the human health risks of flouting emissions regulations, but single-mindedly produced some very fine cars. “Piech and Winterkorn had a feeling what the customer wanted”, said Grünitz, who has been at the company 30 years and worked under both. But the current engineering boss forsakes intuition, instead putting real customers at the heart of product planning and development. “We are doing customer clinics a lot”, he admitted. The engineers now develop cars for strict customer profiles, as well as writing lists of prospective car features that are put to punters for feedback. “We ask do we really need buttons for climate control and temperature? That’s a fundamental change”. Grünitz blamed Herbert Diess, the ex-BMW manager and Tesla fan who succeeded Winterkorn as VW brand boss, for the ID.3’s much-derided, smartphone-inspired slider controls. “Changing the CEO means everyone follows the new one, and if he says, ‘hey, we need a slider’, the engineers might argue a little bit, but they do the slider. That’s something we both changed dramatically”. said the engineering chief. The new Volkswagens also needed radically different interior and exterior designs. Schäfer inherited Klaus Bischoff, the architect of the original ID range, as his head of desig, but the 2 men didn’t gel. “I remember my first design meetings and they were, let me say, not so easy and rather frustrating. I kept thinking: this is not Volkswagen”. So at the end of his first year in charge, Schäfer recruited Andy Mindt from Bentley, which helped supercharge the brand’s renewal. Despite having to move house over Christmas and expecting a child, Mindt set to work, designing the car revealed as the ID.2all show car just 3 months later. “Andy sketched the way he saw Volkswagen and said the design should be clear, timeless, confident and still looking good after 10 years in service”, revealed the CEO. The ID. 2all, which first previewed this year’s ID.Polo, showcases the new design philosophy with its front light bar graphic creating an approachable face, chunky stance and crisply pressed surfaces. Everything is shaped by the logic of usability, not just appearance. So the ID. 2all reinstated exterior door handles which, Schäfer said, customers can easily grab with hands full of shopping bags. “Seems like a small decision but at Volkswagen, it must be intuitive, it must be likeable. And that’s why we bring back real buttons, usability and also real car names you can understand immediately”. Transforming the culture in a sprawling organisation like Volkswagen is an enormous challenge. But it’s one the executive team has embraced: Kai Grünitz said he was given two days to think about taking his post with a directive to change the company, and its cars. A proud mission for a man whose father had worked for Volkswagen, running generation after generation of Golf. “Volkswagen is not just selling cars, we are not selling engines with a little bit of sheet metal around it”, Grunitz vowed. “We sell emotions. We sell memories. And as head of development, that’s exactly what I wanted to bring back. I gave my team a very simple goal: when we present our new vehicles in 2026, we want to be proud again, proud of the positive feedback of families and friends, colleagues and customers”. Sales figures will be the ultimate judge. But the management team has given their all to make Volkswagen great again. +++
+++ In the UNITED STATES , carmakers reported mixed first-quarter U.S. sales Wednesday, pointing to a hit from winter storms, as the Middle East war clouds the industry’s outlook compared with unusually favourable dynamics a year ago. The U.S.-Israeli agression against Iran, launched on February 28, has boosted oil costs by more than 50 percent, sending gasoline prices to more than $4 per gallon in the United States. While that adds to the affordability challenges facing the industry, experts and automakers say it is too soon to determine the war’s overall impact on sales. General Motors said Wednesday it sold 626,429 vehicles between January and March, and that the early part of the quarter was marred by “severe winter weather”, while March emerged as a “much stronger month”. It also cited the “exceptionally high” level of sales in March 2025, when worries about expected tariffs from president Donald Trump prompted shoppers to rush car purchases. Meanwhile, Toyota reported 569.420 first-quarter vehicle sales, down 0.1 percent from a year ago. But Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the U.S. affiliate of Stellantis, reported a 4 percent increase to 305.902 from its line-up, which includes Jeep, Dodge and Alfa Romeo. Hyundai reported a 1 percent increase to 205,388 units. Other leading automakers, including Ford and Tesla, have yet to release first-quarter figures. Cox Automative projected a U.S. sales decline of 6.5 percent, with the boost from expected lofty tax refunds offset by affordability difficulties and anxiety about the war. Exactly how the Iran conflict impacts auto sales will depend on its duration, especially if higher inflation prompts central banks to keep interest rates high, or raise them higher. The war “adds tremendous amount of uncertainty to the vehicle market”, said Charlie Chesbrough, an economist at Cox Automotive. A note from Oxford Economics pointed to improving dynamics in March after winter storms abated. “However, sales will face major headwinds as higher gas prices due to the U.S.-Iran war take a bite out of consumers’ real disposable income growth”, Oxford said. Edmunds projected U.S. car sales of 3.7 million in the first quarter, down 6.5 percent from the year-ago period. “Between severe weather, geopolitical uncertainty, rising gas prices and ongoing affordability challenges, it’s no surprise sales are down year over year”, Edmunds said. Deutsche Bank said it did not anticipate an “immediate near-term impact” from the war on volumes, confirming an outlook of 15.8 million sales for this year, down 2.5 percent from 2025. Analysts that track electric-vehicle maker Tesla expect it sold 365.645 units in the first quarter, which would be an increase of 8.6 percent from the 2025 period but a decrease of 12.6 percent from the final quarter of 2025. The outlook for EV sales has been clouded by Trump’s elimination of tax credits to encourage sales of the climate-friendly autos. But an extended period of high energy prices could spark greater interest in EVs. Searches for EVs on Edmunds accounted for 23.8 percent of customer queries in the week of March 16, up from 20.7 percent in late February. “While higher gas prices can spur interest in electrified vehicles, they typically need to be sustained or more pronounced to drive a meaningful shift”, said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds. “Right now, many consumers appear to view the latest spike as temporary”, she said. Previous oil-price surges have sent automobile markets into tailspins: Sales dropped 44.7 percent the year after the 1973 oil shock and more than 40 percent after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Auto sales plunged 45.5 percent in the year after the 2008 financial crisis, and slid 12.7 percent after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to figures from Anderson Economic Group. +++