South America Electric Vehicles News
- August 2023: BYD introduced the new all-electric BYD SEAL D-segment sedan to European consumers. Deliveries of the BYD SEAL will commence in Q4 2023, and final prices will be announced later.
- August 2023: Toyota Argentina announced that as it begins production of the Hiace in 2024 at its plant in Zárate, it will continue and enlarge the mission of the Conversions area, dedicated to designing and producing vehicles adapted to the specific needs of multiple customers.
- August 2023: The Dubai Police Department has placed an electric Mercedes EQS 580 on its fleet of luxury cars and environmentally conscious vehicles to patrol the streets.
Related Vehicles Industry News
- November 2023: Being one of the first of its kind in the Hauts de France region, the AESC Gigafactory project announced its plans to contribute to accelerating France’s energy transition and decarbonization efforts and reindustrialization by scaling up the battery technology production required for the accelerating pace of vehicle electrification.
- June 2023: BYD announced the launch of five new models in France, including the BYD Seal. The company also launched multiple outlets with trusted partners in France to operate a nationwide distribution network.
- December 2022: Bugatti's parent company, Rimac, announced that the next upgrade of the Bugatti Chiron will feature a hybrid electric powertrain.
- January 2024: Newrizon, a portfolio company of Nio Capital, initiated its global expansion strategy by exporting electric trucks to the United Arab Emirates. The iC1, Newrizon's first line of electric light-duty trucks, has been loaded at a port and is on the way to the United Arab Emirates.
- October 2023: United Arab Emirates officially launched its innovative all-electric vehicles, the Kia EV9, EV6, and concept EV5, at the Geneva International Motor Show in Doha, Qatar. Held at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre from October 5 to October 14, 2023, this event marked a milestone as the region’s first dedicated electric vehicle showcase, inviting media attendees and VIP customers to test drive the new models.
- July 2023: Pravaig, an Indian electric vehicle manufacturer, tied up with Saudi India Venture Studio to set up a manufacturing facility of electric vehicles and advanced batteries in Saudi Arabia.
- April 2024: Cazoo announced its move toward being an online classified used car sales business with 12,000 cars listed on the platform. This move is also in response to the growing competition from other brands like Auto Trader, Motors, and CarGurus.
- February 2024: AUTO1 Group SE launched a digital floorplan financing solution, AUTO1 Financing, for partner dealers. The solution leverages AUTO1’s data-driven platform for select AUTO1.com partner dealers.
- January 2024: BYD announced plans to build its new EV manufacturing plant in Indonesia with an investment of IDR 1.3 billion.
- November 2024: Kia launched its new EV5 electric SUV in China, with a starting price of around USD 20k (CNY 149,800). The EV5 is expected to take on market leaders, including Tesla’s Model Y.
- January 2024: Maruti Suzuki India intends to build a car production facility in Gujarat, India, capable of manufacturing 1 million vehicles annually, with an estimated investment of around INR 35,000 crore (USD 4.2 billion).
- October 2023: Stellantis announced plans to invest USD 1.6 billion in China-based electric vehicle startup Leapmotor and acquired a 20% stake. The automakers plan to establish a new joint venture to build and sell Leapmotor cars outside China.
- December 2023: Kia Motors announced that the electric SUV EV9 would be launched in 2024 in the Indian market.
- September 2023: The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV was launched in India, and it is available in one fully loaded variant and across nine color schemes.
- November 2023: Toyota introduced its lifestyle pickup truck, the Hilux, with a mild-hybrid diesel engine for the European markets. Hilux features a 48-volt mild-hybrid system paired with a 204 PS 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine. Hilux is offered with the same diesel engine paired with 6-speed MT and 6-speed AT in India.
- June 2023: Volkswagen unveiled the new generation Tiguan with multiple powertrain options, including a turbo diesel engine (TDI), turbo petrol engines (TSI), mild hybrid turbo petrol engines (eTSI), and plug-in hybrid systems (eHybrid), at its world premiere in Wolfsburg, Germany. The model was planned to be first launched in various European markets starting early 2024, followed by the US market in the preceding months.
- April 2024: Mercedes announced the latest facelift of the G-Wagon with mild-hybrid technology. The entry-level variant, renamed G450d, retains the same 3.0-liter straight-six diesel engine paired with a 48-volt integrated starter generator (ISG). The engine pushes out 357 bhp and 750 Nm of peak torque with an additional 20 bhp and 200 Nm dished out by the electric motor.
- June 2023: TÜV Rheinland and Centro Tecnológico Randon (CTR) announced a collaboration for automotive vehicle and component homologation, testing, and type certification. The collaboration aims to provide an extensive range of certification services for commercial vehicles, light cars, vehicle systems, and components while maintaining the security and flexibility that clients expect.
- May 2023: Arrival announced a significant milestone, having built 3 L Vans at the Bicester Factory during the first quarter of 2023, with 5 more currently in progress. Additionally, they have successfully accumulated over 90,000 kilometers of on-road test driving. The build and road testing of the L Vans has proven to be a valuable source of insights, aiding in the finalization of manufacturing methods and designs for the XL Van.
- May 2023: AvtoVAZ introduced a one-of-a-kind series of regional displays featuring modern LADA models and commercial samples based on the brand's vehicles. The showcased models include the LADA Granta Prima van, LADA NIVA Kub (an 8-seater van based on the LADA NIVA Legend), pickup trucks based on the LADA Granta and LADA NIVA Legend, as well as dual-fuel LADA Granta CNG and others, all part of the LADA Fleet Road Show.
- January 2022: Volkswagen unveiled a new electric van with batteries ranging from 48kWh to 111kWh, offering an impressive range of up to 342 miles. The van was expected to be available for sale in March 2022 across Europe.
- January 2024: Norbolsa planned a digital platform for selling used cars in Spain with eight dealers and Arval, a BNP Paribas subsidiary. CaixaBank aims to boost consumer credit growth, offering pre-approved loans to low-risk customers.
- January 2024: Spain's government planned to expand its electric vehicle subsidy program, Moves III, to encompass pre-owned vehicles, provided they are less than one year old. Additionally, fleet operators are now eligible to apply for grants covering a greater number of electric vehicles compared to previous allowances.
- January 2022: CARS24 launched the CARS24 application to enhance the customer experience and allow customers to access the most significant certified company-owned used cars, over 1,200 in one app.
- March 2022: Carsome partnered with PTT Oil and Retail Busines, a subsidiary of Thailand's energy conglomerate PTT, to expand its used-car network and boost online vehicle purchases across Thailand.
- February 2022: Carsome Group planned to build more used car refurbishment centers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The company expects the demand for pre-owned cars to grow in the next few years.
- June 2023: Hyundai Motor Group, a multinational automotive manufacturer based out of South Korea, announced that its connected car services reached 10 million subscribers, owing to the growth in overseas subscribers using Bluelink, Kia Connect, and Genesis Connected Services. The company further stated that it expected that its connected car services would reach 20 million subscribers by the end of 2026.
- April 2023: MG Motor India announced the launch of its latest Comet electric vehicle model at an introductory price of INR 7.98 lakh (USD 9,608), which is equipped with an inbuilt iSmart system that supports over 55 connected car features and over 100 voice commands.
- September 2022: Hyundai Motor Group and KT Corporation signed a joint venture to focus on next-generation infrastructure and ICT, including 6G autonomous driving technology and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) communication networks based on satellite communication.
- February 2022: BMW launched a 3-series sedan in Brazil capable of running on ethanol-blended fuel. The new BMW 3 series can function normally even when running entirely on ethanol. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder B48 turbo powers the 3-series that has been slightly tuned to run on ethanol-based fuel.
- December 2022: SIAM, along with the Government of India, conducted a demonstration session where it showcased the vehicle features and technological developments to emphasize the use of FFVs (Flex-fuel vehicles) and future possibilities. During the demonstration, it was emphasized that there is a need for technology that can be used to convert waste to wealth, as India uses a significant amount of fossil fuel in the world.