Citroën has officially opened the order books for the new C5 Aircross plug-in hybrid in the UK. It is being offering it in two grades named the Flair and Flair Plus. Pricing starts at £35,340 and £36,815 respectively. Customer deliveries will begin in mid-2020.

At the vintage automobile Retromobile Show in Paris car show in Paris, Citroën announced that in 2022, it will be undertaking the epic journey across the Sahara with all-electric vehicles.

Peugeot will also electrify the new 308. As CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato revealed in an interview, the French carmaker is planning to launch a plug-in hybrid version, while a purely electric version could follow later. Peugeot also wants to become increasingly electric with other models.

Groupe PSA has named Pod Point as its exclusive charge point supplier for its business in the UK. Electric cars from Peugeot, Vauxhall, DS Automobile, and Citroën will be offered alongside chargers from Pod Point following the signing of a two-year deal.

Citroën is planning a fully electric version of the successor to its C4 Cactus, which is due for an update next year. Brand boss Linda Jackson now confirmed as much. The model will be based on established PSA technology.

From 2020 onwards, PSA will include the production of battery packs for electric and hybrid cars at its Figueruelas plant near Saragossa. The French automakers will also start producing purely electric cars in 2020 in all its Spanish plants Figueruelas, Vigo and Madrid.

Citroën has presented the new C5 Aircross Hybrid, which is offered in the UK at gross list prices starting at £35,340, or in France at €39,950. Deliveries are scheduled to start in mid-2020.

Citroën announces that it will offer electric vans across its entire range of light commercial vehicles. A fully electric version of the Citroën Jumpy and Citroën Jumper will be launched in 2020 with the electric version of the new Berlingo to follow in 2021.

The French PSA Group has now confirmed that from next year, in addition to the Opel Vivaro, the Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy models will also be available on the market as purely electric van variants.

Vitesco Technologies, the former Powertrain division of Continental, has announced the signing of an agreement to supply the first fully integrated drive system for several PSA and Hyundai mass production models.

Affordable prices through economies of scale – this is what Opel wants to achieve in cooperation with PSA and Dongfeng through new platforms for electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Unlike the VW Group’s MEB, the trio wants to remain flexible. Christoph M. Schwarzer takes a close look at the strategy.

Citroën has presented a new electric car concept: While the Ami One Concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show was designed for urban electric mobility, the 19_19 Concept, designed for autonomous driving, is now fully electric for long distances.

At the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show, the French PSA Group is currently offering a preview of future electric versions of the large Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper vans, which are to be offered with two battery versions.

At the Geneva Motor Show, Citroën will be presenting the Ami One concept, a fully electric two-seater for urban mobility. The concept was developed as an alternative to public transit and two-wheeled vehicles such as bikes or scooters.

After Renault, PSA will now also set up an electric vehicle sharing fleet to replace to EV sharing programme Autolib in Paris. Under the Free2Move brand, the company will launch a fleet of 550 Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero electric vehicles on the 3rd of December for short term rentals.

PSA has announced plans to electrify their entire utility vehicle palette by 2025. Starting in 2020, the Peugeot Expert and the Citroën Jumpy will be electrified, while the Citroën Berlingo Electric and Peugeot Partner Electric will receive larger batteries.

Citroën of PSA is gearing up their electrification effort. PSA’s chief developer Gilles Le Borgne confirmed plans to launch the next generation of the C4 as a purely electric version by 2020 with the aim of competing with Volkswagen’s ID. reports Auto Express.

The first fully electric vehicle by French manufacturer PSA will be launching in the second half of 2019. The technical specifications have now been announced and make the DS 3 Crossback a pretty decent option.

After cancelling their contract with the electric car sharing Autolib, Paris already found a substitute. Two in fact as both Renault and PSA rush to populate the French capital with exclusively electric vehicles to hire.

Citroën presented the European version of its new SUV model C5 Aircross, which is already on offer in China. The introduction of the C5 on the European market is scheduled for end of the year, and 2019 in Germany. The PHEV version will be available towards the end of 2019.

The French are coming to Portugal and carry the electric car sharing service emov as their baggage. 150 C-Zero are to take to the streets of Lisbon this April and shall be free to roam even beyond the capital’s centre.

PSA is going to cooperate with BMW subsidiary Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) to provide Peugeot and Citroën customers access to currently 6,360 charging stations throughout France, among them 460 fast-charging terminals.

The French carmaker reveales the new E-Mehari, which is based on the limited edition model ‘Styled by Courrèges’ presented at the IAA last year. Apart from an electric powertrain, the four-seat cabrio gets thus a strict hard top as well as windows at the sides and the back.

The PSA group prepares the implementation of a 220m euro joint venture together with Japanese company Nidec. Both partners seek to produce electric motors for BEVs as well as HEVs at a site close to Paris.

First production EV by Mini: BMW’s small car subsidiary reveals the design of its premier production electric car, which is to debut at the IAA. The Mini Electric Concept does in fact look just like a conventional Mini, apart from some small details. While the brand has not specified any technology, it is likely that the BMW i3 system will also power the electric Mini, so output would be at 130 kW with a 94 Ah battery that lasts for about 300 kilometres.
carscoops.com, autocar.co.uk, bmwgroup.com

Honda’s EV concept for the IAA: It will be the first electric Honda to hit the European shores once ready but for now, the carmaker has prepared a concept for the Frankfurt show. The Honda Urban EV Concept also provides the backdrop for more information on Honda’s eMobility strategy for Europe. Also on display will be a prototype CR-V Hybrid.
carscoops.com, greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com

E-Mehari special edition: Citroen want to make an “entrée” at the IAA and asked fashion designer Courrèges to dress up its electric crossover as a special edition. Black is the colour of this EV season it appears, together with a strict hard top and some hidden features. 61 such electric Mehari will be made.
motor1.com, carscoops.com

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BYD to enter Nigeria: Electric cars are to arrive by 2018 in Nigeria, as imports first. However, BYD sees potential in Africa’s most populous state and wants to establish EV assembly there together with local firm Enigus Enfinity from 2020.
naij.com, dailytrust.com.ng

Porsche’s revamped Cayenne due to debut at the IAA has been revealed with the order books open. However, the plug-in hybrid variant will only arrive at a later date.
autocar.co.uk, europe.autonews.com, porsche.de

Qoros retouches luxury EV: First revealed this April, Qoros has given its K-EV Concept a refresh, optically at least. The 640 kW electric drive remains unchanged and will make it into the small production run planned to commence by 2019.
carscoops.com

Expect a new electric Citroën by 2020 but it will not be a dedicated model. The group will instead leave it to consumers to make the sensible choice or opt for a gasoline version of the same make. Which model that will be is undisclosed but after the C-Zero und e-Mehari, Citroën will stay within the (sub-) compact segment with PSA’s planned platform e-CMP. It lays the foundation for up to 450 km range and is being developed together with PSA’s partner in China, Dongfeng.
autonews.com

Karma comeback: Former Fisker, Karma Automotive started deliveries of the Karma successor Revero this month and marks the occasion with a new TV spot. The firm hopes to send about 1,000 PHEVs on their way this year, each costing 130,000 dollars at least for an electric range of 80 km.
video, electrek.co, insideevs.com

Meanwhile the Model 3 has made a new appearance and this time all in white. The pictures were taken in California and truly look like spy shots, queer angles and “agents” included. Indulge.
electrek.co (Design), electrek.co (supercharging)

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Mahindra’s Brexit: The Indian carmaker has ceased sales of its e2o in the United Kingdom due to meagre demand. Mahindra will thus wind up all its British operations in fact, although it initially hoped to use the Isles as a gateway to European markets like the Nordics and the Netherlands.
reuters.com

Workhorse electric: This is the first time, the planned electric pick-up truck by Workhorse can be seen. The 338 kW strong W-15 lasts for 130 electric kilometres but also carries a range extender. Workhorse says it has received more than 2,000 pre-orders already and wants to produce from 2018.
insideevs.com

Make the Moke great again by giving the odd Mini beach buggy a new life as electric vehicle. Note that this e-Moke is not a Mini as it used to be but by a company called Moke America. The remake claims a 40 mile range at a top speed of 25 mph. Enough to shift some sand, surely and available now.
geeky-gadgets.com, autoblog.com

Quotas work wonders: China got VW to hurry its electrification and seems to have the upper hand with the upcoming tougher quotas. Volkswagen now wants to make an electric car for the masses together with JAC no later than 2018 – two years before EVs sitting on the MEB platform are scheduled. The JV’s first EV will be under a new brand name. In China, VW also hopes to deploy its new energy vehicles to ride-sharing partner Didi but the groups overall sales strategy for its largest market speaks of 400,000 PEV by 2020 and 1.5m electrified cars by 2025.
nytimes.com, autonews.com

Nio likes it big: The young brand hits the floor in Shanghai with its electric SUV ES8 that can take seven passengers. Performance data is sparse but Nio equipped its EV with two electric motors and wants a swappable battery pack. A production version is to be shown before the year’s end with on-sale starting soon after. Furthermore, Nio has opened the order books for what it calls its flagship supercar. The EP9 however, will only be made ten times for a price of about 1.5m dollars each.
autocar.co.uk, greencarcongress.com

BYD’s Dynasty: Shanghai just saw the debut of the all-electric SUV concept by the Chinese manufacturer. The Dynasty has been designed by Wolfgang Egger, formerly Audi but production is not planned. Also on display at the BYD booth are the electric and hybrid Song EV300 and Song DM.
autocar.co.uk, carscoops.com, electriccarsreport.com

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Citroën crossover PHEV: The C5 Aircross that has been revealed in China will be Citroen’s first plug-in hybrid model and shall launch this autumn first in China and then in Europe by 2018. The PHEV couples two electric motors with a petrol-engine to 300 hp and an electric range of 60 km.
autocar.co.uk, autonews.com

Butterfly doors are not the only fancy the MG E-Motion EV sports at the show in Shanghai but the best news is that MG is actually looking to build the electric sports coupe by 2020 for below 30,000 pounds. Its electric drive has been developed in house and the concept claims a 310 mile range.
autocar.co.uk

VW has chosen battery supplier: The Germans have moved on from planning to the next stage as the design of the VW I.D. built upon the MEB platform is to be confirmed by August. At the same time, battery suppliers were selected and are under contract already, although it has not been disclosed, who will power Volkswagen’s electric concept/s. Two more electric models are to follow until 2022 of which one will be the I.D. Buzz microbus.
autonews.com

Citroën electrifies further: The French now offer the E-Berlingo Multispace with an electric drive. It is the same motor utilised in the van version of the Berlingo already and offers a range of 170 km. The latest electric car joins Citroën’s EV range consisting of the C-ZERO, E-MEHARI and Berlingo LCV.
greencarcongress.com, autoevolution.com, youtube.com

Demand for Teslas remains high and the company has now started deliveries of its new 100D versions of both the Model S and X in the States. And as it just opened the first showrooms in Korea, cues are forming – there is a 6-month waiting list to test drive the Model S.
insideevs.com (100D), forbes.com (Korea)

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Bolt bargain: Chevy Bolt prices have gone below 25,000 dollars after incentives at some stores, which already started to apply discounts as they seek to move their inventory. Deliveries geared up lately but it remains to be seen if demand will keep up with the pace.
electrek.co, autonews.com

Chinese Google EV: China’s search engine giant Baidu has taken a stake in NextEV and its electric car brand Nio. Baidu had led a financing round that collected over 600m dollars in total.
reuters.com

New blood for Formula E: BMW and DS Performance have been granted manufacturer status through FIA for the Formula E. While Mercedes had secured its entry option earlier, it did not make it (yet) for the 5th season that will run throughout 2018/ 19.
motorsport.com, fiaformulae.com

Autolivery: Ford brought its vision of electric and autonomous delivery vans to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Its ‘Autolivery’ concept, developed for Ford’s Last Mile Mobility Challenge, imagines electric self-driving vans, which carry drones that can pick up and drop off packages in dense cities. The principle reminds of UPS’ real world application with the HorseFly octocopter (we reported). In Barcelona, Ford also displays the Carr-E electric platform and the folding electric tricycle TriCiti, both outcomes of the Last Mile Mobility Challenge as well.
electriccarsreport.com, youtube.com

Tesla lifetime insurance: The EV maker has started to include lifetime insurance and maintenance package in the purchase price of its cars in Asia in order to take safety features like the Autopilot and the benefits of an EV into account. It is unclear, what the exact price is, or when the offering will become widely available, but it is certain it will. If Tesla will keep it in-house or work with insurance partners has yet to be decided and depends on the providers’ flexibility.
mashable.com, businessinsider.de

New EV for Britain: Citroën extended its EV range in the UK with the introduction of the Berlingo Electric L2 550 LX van. The L2 version is bigger than the the existing Berlingo Electric L1 635 LX model and costs from 22,180 GBP (exc. VAT; Plug-in Van Grant).
automotiveworld.com, commercialfleet.org

Ioniq line-up complete: Hyundai has launched the plug-in hybrid variant of the Ioniq in Korea, making the trio of EV, hybrid and PHEV complete. The PHEV starts at 32.3m Won (about 27,000 euros). In Europe, the Ioniq PHEV will launch in August and in Q4 in the USA.
yonhapnews.co.kr, joins.com, theinvestor.co.kr

Yudo’s first models: China’s new EV brand called Yundu in Chinese, premiered its electric crossovers, the Pi 1 and Pi 3, which are to kick-off this June. The Pi1 is the smaller of the two and features two battery options that offer 200 and 330 km range respectively. The Pi 3 gets 300 km. Yudo‘s production facility in Fujian Province is said to be complete almost and will churn out up to 80,000 EVs a year.
carnewschina.com

Daimler’s new head for trucks and buses is Martin Daum, who previously oversaw the firm’s North American division. Daum has been with Daimler for the last 30 years and will be responsible to lead electrification of commercial vehicles in his new role.
daimler.com

Five new e-trons for China: Audi and its Chinese joint venture partner signed off their 10-year strategic plan. Next to forming its own brand for mobility and digital services, the two companies are also planning to produce five more e-tron models in China, on top of the already scheduled A6 L e-tron und Q7 e-tron, and introduce them to the market there. That includes purely electric vehicles.
greencarcongress.com, electrek.co, audi-mediacenter.com

Diesel-ban in Oslo: The Norwegian capital banned private diesel cars from its roads on Tuesday and Wednesday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The ban could be extended. German magazine Der Spiegel reports that Oslo even wants kick all vehicles with combustion engines out of the inner city ring by 2024.
thelocal.no, theguardian.com, spiegel.de (in German)

Kia Stinger update: According to Auto Express, Kia could launch an all-electric version of the Kia Stinger GT, which it presented at the Detroit Motor Show. The sleek five-door GT would then rival the upcoming Tesla Model 3, but is not said to hit the road before 2019. But it could then be fitted with level 3 or 4 autonomous features.
autoexpress.co.uk

SUV Aircross as PHEV: Citroën wants to introduce its SUV Aircross to the Chinese market at the end of the year. It will also be available as a seven-seater, as well as a plug-in hybrid from 2018.
carnewschina.com

Rollout plan: GM has published a rollout schedule for the Chevrolet Bolt in the U.S. The EV is currently only available at dealerships in California and Oregon, but can already be ordered in a total of seven states. By September, the Bolt will be available across the United States.
insideevs.com

Tesla referral programme: Tesla launched a new round of its referral programme until March 15th. Clients who successfully refer seven new buyers will receive two invitation to the Model 3 delivery event. Those who sell five vehicles get a limited-edition Powerwall and those with three successful referrals get a Model S for kids. Tesla also kicked off an annual awards programme. The first person to successfully refer 20 new buyers in each sales region – North America, Europe, or Asia Pacific – will get a Tesla Model S or X P100D.
electrek.co, teslarati.com