The planned merger of the car companies PSA and FCA under the name Stellantis will apparently be able to rely on three electric car platforms. In addition to the existing platforms eCMP and eVMP, according to a new report from Italy, a base developed by FCA will also trade for larger electric cars.

The electrification strategy of the PSA brand DS Automobiles provides for an even stronger orientation towards e-mobility: From 2025, DS intends to offer only fully electric models and plug-in hybrids.

PSA brand DS Automobiles has expanded its plug-in hybrid offering for the DS 7 Crossback. In addition to the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense 4×4 with all-wheel drive, the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense 225 with front-wheel drive is another PHEV variant now on offer.

The PSA Group has recently decided to produce the next generation of the Peugeot 3008 at the Sochaux site from 2022. Meanwhile, French media report that the new 3008 will come in a plug-in hybrid version as well as a purely electric offshoot.

The PSA Group and the Belgian transmission manufacturer Punch Powertrain have signed an agreement to set up a second joint venture and expand their strategic partnership in the field of electrification. This will focus on transmissions for HEV and PHEVs – also for other manufacturers.

First carmakers announce closures of factories in Europe due to the Coronavirus crisis unfolding on the continent. PSA will lockdown all vehicle production plants in Europe by 27 March and the French carmaker is not the only one.

The French car manufacturer PSA has selected a partner for the installation of charging stations for all its brands in each European country. The recommended companies offer charging solutions for business customers as well as for consumers in single or multiple family homes.

GKN Automotive continues their tests on the 3-in-1 powertrains and has several prototypes underway in the Arctic Circle. New inverters and motors are being used in the test vehicles based on the Tesla Model 3 and Fiat Ducato.

With the new DS 9, the PSA brand DS Automobiles has presented its top model, for which three PHEV variants are planned. However, only one version of the plug-in drive is to be available for the market launch, the other two are to follow “with a certain time lag”.

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.

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.

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.

The all-electric DS 3 Crossback E-Tense can now be reserved in Great Britain. Prices start at 32,350 pounds (incl. 3,500 pounds for plug-in car grant). PSA’s premium brand also revealed details on charging options.

The new Peugeot 208 and its all-electric version e-208 can now be ordered from all dealers and branches of the brand in Germany. For the e-208, Peugeot is calling for an entry-level price of 30,450 euros. Deliveries are scheduled to start at the end of this year.

The PSA subsidiary DS Automobiles is now accepting orders for the all-electric compact SUV DS 3 Crossback E-Tense and the larger electric SUV DS 7 Crossback E-Tense 4×4 with plug-in hybrid drive. So far, prices have only been announced for a few countries.

Zero Motorcycles announce updates to their electric motorbike lineup for 2019. Ten years in the game, the Californians are ready to deliver more power and more range and to serve a wide circle of customers for longer.

The performance label of PSA that is DS has revealed their first plug-in hybrid model officially. The DS 7 Crossback based on the E-Tense line is to hit the shelves next year, then with a 4×4 drive and 50 kilometres of all-electric range.

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.

DS, the performance label under the wings of French PSA, will start offering hybrid and electric models only from 2025. This means any new car launched after that will either have a hybrid or electric drive or be offered in both variants. DS had announced the news amidst the whooshing racers at the e-Prix in […]

The French group wants each and every of its 40 models to have either an electric or hybrid sibling by 2025. That is what CEO Carlos Tavares just made public. First electrified models are to roll off the lines by 2019.

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.

GM shuts down Bolt plant: As inventories swell, GM has halted the lines in Michigan, where the Chevy Bolt and Sonic are made. While the carmaker claims the shutdown was temporary and down solely to slow Sonic sales, there is an oversupply of its EV as well. Still the Bolt is only available in some states before a nationwide roll-out in August. At the same time, only a few Ampera-e have been allocated to Europe – too few maybe but it is impossible to simply rebrand the Bolt for Opel due to specific parts suppliers cannot deliver quickly enough.
reuters.com, electrek.co

S-Class facelift: Mercedes unveils its latest luxury flagship that now includes 48-Volt tech and a plug-in hybrid variant with a bigger battery at 13.3 kWh for a range of 50 km. The 7.2 kW on-board charger and a new wallbox promise faster charging but the S-Class PHEV won’t be available at on-sale this fall.
autoexpress.co.uk, daimler.com

DS electric SUV by 2019: PSA fledgling DS prepares to fly solo and revealed a second model to follow the DS7 Crossback PHEV. Next up will be a compact SUV comes 2019 and it will also incorporate an all-electric variant. Two years later anoter SUV is to join the club, this time as a standalone hybrid.
autocar.co.uk

German “Extrawurst”? Beijing might make an exception for German carmakers regarding China’s EV sales quota, WiWo reports after speaking to the German embassy in the Chinese capital. They revealed, there would be “a satisfactory solution” but how that could look like or, what that actually means or, if it will also apply to other countries has not been said. Only recently, OEM associations from the four biggest car nations had turned to Beijing begging for mercy so they could pollute the planet a little longer.
wiwo.de (in German)

Korea grants special treatment to Tesla as Seoul wants to open its subsidies from September to include the Californian EV maker. Its models had been excluded before because Korean regulation limits incentives to electric vehicles that take less than ten hours to charge.
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com, theinvestor.co.kr

Dreaming ever bigger: BYD is about to expand again further with the extension of its production facility in Lancaster, California set for completion next month. The plant will then be able to produce 1,500 electric heavy-duty vehicles, i.e. buses as well as trucks, a year with its 700 employees.
cnbc.com

Bye-bye B-series electric: There will be no more electric Mercedes B 250e once the third quarter of 2017 ends, a Daimler spokesperson confirmed. Launched in 2014, Mercedes used Tesla technology but with its switch to the EQ line and with no updates in three years, the B-series EV is outdated and has never been a big seller anyway. Instead Daimler is gearing up for EQ production at its Rastatt facility and we expect an outlook on the first EQ model at this autumn’s IAA show in Frankfurt.
electrive.net (in German)

BYD to sell battery cells: The Chinese EV maker decided to offer its battery cells to other OEMs, not entirely voluntarily though. Instead the cuts in subsidy required to open up the supply chain for battery production to stay competitive and BYD said it has received interest from large makers already. Deals will be made for cells only with packs coming from third parties.
autonews.gasgoo.com

Tesla targets India and Elon Musk says signs stay on green for a deal with the government to allow the Californians to sell despite not having set up a local factory – yet. The stock market welcomes such news and values Tesla higher than BMW at the moment, making it the world’s 4th valuable carmaker.
teslarati.com (India), insideevs.com (stock market)

Six DS PEVs until 2023: PSA premium brand DS is on track to become the groups electric arm and pland to lauch one new electrified model each year over the coming six years. First to come is the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense whose hybrid system delivers 300 hp and 60km electric range.
autocar.co.uk

Cummins for CEV: The U.S. manufacturer plans to make electric drives for buses from 2019. More industrial and commercial uses shall follow in the years to come, said Cummins.
reuters.com, drivespark.com

More EVs made in Croatia: Dok-Ing was founded in 2010 already but only now comes round to plan its electric line-up. It includes a car, a jeep, a small truck as well as a motorcycle – all electric. However, the Zagreb-based firm is still in talks with investors so the above are all a maybe.
total-croatia-news.com

DS 1 to DS 7: Expect seven new models from PSA’s performance arm within this decade. The DS1 may be the most surprising of the lot as insider Georg Kacher tells of a racy but compact and electric city car, designed to fight the Smart Fortwo and Forfour.
carmagazine.co.uk

Schaeffler strengthens e-mobility biz: Compact Dynamics is now owned by Schaeffler, which acquired 51 percent of the electric motor maker. The shares were sold by Semikron International and the deal entails close cooperation with the German supplier in the field of power electronics. The new alliances shall serve to expands Schaeffler’s competence in electric drive systems.
firmenpresse.de

On target to electrify transit in China is ZTE: Initially a smartphone maker, it has reportedly invested 560m dollars in inductive charging for transport and now ventures into vehicles. ZTE bought 70% of Granton Automobile and plans to set up facilities to produce up to 10,000 new energy buses.
scmp.com

More electric transport: Chinese logistics firm Transfar Zhilian is to hook up with JAC, Dongfeng and Foton to develop new energy logistics vehicles. Overarching Transfar Logistics Group will invest 13m dollars to set up the Zhejiang Transfar Eco-Friendly Logistics subsidiary.
forbes.com

Right-hand drive issue with Q7 e-tron: Delayed deliveries of Audi’s plug-in hybrid cause complain among British buyers, who were told months ago that their cars were on the way. Audi blames problems at suppliers for modified components that are specific to right-hand drive Q7 e-trons.
autocar.co.uk

Toyota C-HR as proper hybrid? Toyota’s C-HR hybrid may soon come with a plug. The crossover’s PHEV variant would use the next-generation Prius drive, Autocar alleges.
autocar.co.uk