News

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is deeply concerned by the US President’s announcement of additional tariffs on our sector. It comes at a watershed moment for our industry’s transformation and as fierce international competition mounts.

INEOS Automotive has launched a new €15 million biomass heat plant at its Hambach production and assembly site, significantly reducing the factory’s carbon footprint. With a 9.2-megawatt output, the plant will consume up to 14,000 tonnes of locally sourced wood chips annually, meeting 78% of the facility’s heating needs.

The switch to biomass is expected to reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 8,800 tonnes each year.

The BMW Art Car Collection marks its 50th anniversary with an exciting World Tour that celebrates creativity across five continents, commencing in Europe and Asia. The official launch of this global journey took place during the “(R) EVOLUTION OF ART” event hosted at the BMW Group Niederlassung Wien. In Vienna, audiences have the opportunity to admire five iconic BMW Art Cars from March 20-23 at the Museum of Applied Arts and the SPARK Art Fair, featuring works by renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, and Jeff Koons. 

Emirati logistics company DP World said it has opened an operational hub in Bucharest, named the European Control Tower, to lead its newly-launched pan-European logistics service, which combines combines road, maritime, air, rail and multimodal transport. By offering streamlined supply chain management and enhanced operational efficiency, DP World is focusing on meeting customers’ need to reduce costs and accelerate delivery times in a way which gives them transparency at every stage.

Continental’s Automotive group sector intends to establish its legally independent corporate headquarters at its current location in Frankfurt am Main. Following the Supervisory Board’s approval of the spin-off last week, Continental’s Automotive group sector has decided to establish the headquarters of the planned independent company in Frankfurt am Main. The aim is to locate the headquarters of the new automotive company at the current site in the Guerickestraße by mid-2025. 

The parcel delivery group Sameday said it has operationalised a new logistics hub in the central city of Ghimbav, Brasov county, in which it has invested 21 million lei ($4.6 million/4.2 million euro). Sameday said in a press release that the logistics center spans 6,800 sq m and is located on a 10,000 sq m land plot within the Sofimat Logistic Park Ghimbav.

Nvidia, Google DeepMind, and Disney Research are developing a physical engine for robots that will provide more realistic movements. Nvidia has partnered with Google DeepMind and Disney Research to develop Newton, an open-source physics engine for robot development that can provide real-time simulation with greater precision. Powered by two Nvidia computers inside, Blue’s Newton is built on Nvidia’s Warp framework.

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), a 100 % subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group specialising in industry-leading Formula 1 technologies, and the Mercedes Benz Center of Competence for Battery Systems designed and developed a completely new and innovative battery system. Mercedes-Benz engineers from the road and racetrack and Factorial cell engineers have worked together on delivering an all-new solid-state battery test program, which has brought the first car powered by a lithium-metal solid-state battery to the road.

The energy price index fell 4.2% in February, driven by declines in coal (-9.8%) and crude oil (-5.6%).

Food prices edged down 0.5%, while raw materials increased by 1.6%. Beverages inched up 0.6%.

Metal prices rose 3.5%, and precious metals climbed by 6.6%.

The  aim of an EU program called Drive-E is adding 1,400 public charging points for trucks and cars, to be installed on major roads in 13 European countries by the end of 2027. A consortium of Germany-based energy company E.ON, Bulgarian-controlled electric vehicle charging (EVC) station operator Eldrive Holding and Slovak power distributor ZSE has secured 45 million euro ($47 million) in EU funding to expand EVC infrastructure across Europe.

DPD Germany dispatches over 350 million parcels every year. In order to make parcel shipping more sustainable, Germany's second-largest shipping service provider is now cooperating with hey circle. hey circle says its reusable shipping boxes provide better protection than conventional single-use packaging for shipments while significantly reducing waste due to their long lifespan. The boxes can be used for up to 50 cycles between companies and their customers and partners, as well as for internal shipping.

Toyota Chemical Engineering is working on an alternative process for recycling high-voltage (HV) batteries that does not require the conventional incineration process. The goal is to reduce material losses and emissions during recycling. From 2031, battery manufacturers in the EU will be required to use a certain percentage of recycled metals.

Ford Otosan and Mars Logistics launched a new intermodal transport route to improve the efficiency, profitability, and sustainability of logistics operations between its factories in Romania, in Craiova, and Turkey. Under this new system, components will be transported from Turkey to Romania, and vehicles manufactured in Romania will arrive in Turkey, both by rail. This transition aims to reduce emissions by 63% compared to road transport, making logistics operations more efficient and economical.

Ambi Robotics, a provider of AI-powered robotic sorting and stacking solutions for warehouse operations, has unveiled AmbiStack, a robotic system designed to automate the complex process of stacking items onto pallets or into containers achieving maximum density. This solution alleviates the burden of repetitive, injury-prone motions for workers, enabling them to transition into higher-value roles as Robot Operators, focusing on assisting robotic operations when needed.

The energy price index surged in January, led by natural gas (15%) and crude oil (8.1%).

Non-energy prices saw little change.