Hongqi's EHS5 marks a strategic push into the European EV market with advanced safety and localised ambition

European and Chinese automakers are forging closer partnerships, leveraging their respective strengths in innovation and manufacturing, to shape the future of sustainable and intelligent mobility amidst escalating global market tensions.The future direction of the global car industry is increasingly leaning on openness and collaborative efforts—especially between European and Chinese companies—according to Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, a prominent German automotive expert and head of the Center for Automotive Research in Bochum. Speaking just before the 2025 IAA Mobility event in Munich, Dudenhoeffer pointed out that the changing landscape of automotive innovation and industry overhaul is driven by the synergy between Europe's deep expertise in vehicle dynamics, brand heritage, and China's strengths in digital infrastructure, software, and automation. This cooperation, I think, is becoming more vital as the industry navigates contrasting geopolitical trends. On one side, the U.S. has pushed aggressive tariff policies aimed at reducing trade deficits, but Dudenhoeffer warns that these policies might create unpredictable trade barriers which could hurt the global automotive scene. Meanwhile, Europe and China are forming partnerships that boost the uptake of electric vehicles and smart car tech. The upcoming Munich show, which is set to feature around 116 Chinese firms, is expected to showcase progress in autonomous driving, smart cockpit systems, and digitalization—all areas where Chinese companies are really making strides. China's role at IAA Mobility also highlights how competition between European and Chinese automakers—especially in electric vehicles—is heating up. Brands like BYD, GAC, Changan, and Hongqi have made significant inroads into Europe. For example, BYD's global sales hit 4.2 million units in 2024, with European sales soaring by nearly 290% in 2025 alone. European legacy automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, and Volkswagen are reacting cautiously but are increasingly pushing out new EV models to fight for market share. Some analysts say Europe has been a bit slow to respond to the Chinese EV boom, which makes the need for collaborative innovation even more urgent. Beyond just competing, Chinese firms are actively investing in Europe’s manufacturing hubs and innovation landscapes. Major Chinese battery producers are setting up large battery cell plants in Germany, aiming to accelerate the deployment of green tech in line with Germany’s goal of having 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030. Brands like NIO and BYD are rolling out new EV models in European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. These cross-border investments and technological exchanges are further cementing China's role as an essential partner in Europe’s push toward EV adoption. Dudenhoeffer emphasized that this kind of Europe-China cooperation isn’t just about market share—it’s also a strategic necessity for maintaining competitiveness amidst global uncertainty and protectionism. He’s quite optimistic about ongoing negotiations to reduce tariffs between China and Europe, hoping for a future where auto tariffs are minimized or eliminated altogether. This, he suggests, would be beneficial for both sides. He contrasted this optimistic outlook with the U.S. policies back home, which he criticizes for cutting green energy incentives and enacting tariffs that complicate global supply chains and threaten sustainability efforts. Looking further ahead, Dudenhoeffer believes that the overarching goal for the automotive world involves pushing toward sustainable development through electrification, digitalization, and automation. Combining the European mastery of traditional automotive craftsmanship and road handling with Chinese innovation in intelligent tech and long-term planning creates a kind of complementary partnership. By leveraging these combined strengths—through openness and better infrastructure—the industry could really lead the way in transitioning to next-generation, low-carbon mobility. So, in a nutshell, this transformation is unfolding amidst geopolitical tensions and market turbulence, but international platforms like the Munich auto show still paint an encouraging picture of shared development. It’s not just about rolling out smarter, more comfortable, and automated vehicles—the process also paves an important path for building a resilient and sustainable future for the global automotive scene. Honestly, it’s pretty interesting, right? Despite all the turbulence, cooperation seems to be the way forward, and everyone stands to benefit from it. References: - Paragraph 1 – [1], [4] - Paragraph 2 – [1], [2] - Paragraph 3 – [2] - Paragraph 4 – [3], [5], [6] - Paragraph 5 – [1], [4] - Paragraph 6 – [1] Source: Noah Wire Services

TomTom hits a major milestone by mapping over 2 million EV charging points worldwide, enhancing navigation and reducing range anxiety amid the global shift to sustainable mobility.TomTom has achieved a significant milestone in supporting the global shift toward electric mobility by mapping over 2 million electric vehicle (EV) charging points worldwide. This accomplishment underscores TomTom’s dedication to delivering reliable and comprehensive EV navigation solutions, particularly beneficial for automakers and their customers. As the popularity of EVs continues to grow, having accurate data about charging infrastructure becomes increasingly critical for reducing range anxiety and making EV driving more seamless. Their extensive database, called Orbis Maps, not only covers a vast array of locations across different countries but also emphasizes careful data verification to ensure that every charging point is accurate, complete, and free from duplicates. Manuela Locarno Ajayi, SVP for Product Engineering at TomTom, states that their aim is to make EV journeys worry-free. To that end, the platform allows automakers to incorporate their own EV datasets or exclusive information from charging operators, enabling tailored and enhanced EV services. This level of customization helps car manufacturers provide more reliable and detailed information, supporting the global transition toward sustainable mobility. This milestone also reflects a substantial expansion from previous efforts. For instance, in 2021, TomTom partnered with Hubject, an e-mobility digital specialist, which brought the total number of mapped charging points to nearly 450,000 worldwide, with over 175,000 providing availability information. Since then, TomTom's coverage has grown substantially. Today, the company covers over 1.8 million charging stations across 90 countries, with approximately 800,000 offering live data on their availability. This real-time information is invaluable for EV drivers seeking compatible and available charging stations, effectively alleviating range concerns. TomTom’s continuous collaboration with Charge Point Operators worldwide further enhances the accuracy and availability of charging station data. The partnership with ChargeHub, initiated in 2019, expanded their database of public charging stations in North America to over 300,000, greatly improving the reliability of charging point info for EV drivers on their maps. On the technical front, TomTom offers APIs like the EV Search API and Orbis Search API, allowing developers and vehicle manufacturers to access detailed static and dynamic data on EV Points of Interest (POIs). These tools facilitate precise location searches and optimized routing based on current charging station availability, greatly enriching the EV driving experience. Headquartered in Amsterdam and employing over 3,500 people globally, TomTom has been shaping the future of mobility for more than 30 years. Their ongoing efforts to map and verify EV charging infrastructure demonstrate their commitment to providing the essential data needed for a reliable and widespread adoption of electric vehicles worldwide. Source: Noah Wire Services

Jaguar Land Rover faces a major cyberattack that has disrupted its global manufacturing, highlighting growing risks and the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity in the automotive sector.Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is currently dealing with a pretty serious cyberattack that's really thrown a wrench into its global production and retail functions. This whole incident—well, at least to me—seems like one of the most disruptive events in the company's recent past. The breach was spotted towards the end of August 2025, and almost immediately, JLR shut down its IT systems across the board. The company’s move to contain the damage—shutting everything down—did what it was supposed to do, but it also ended up causing a lot of operational standstill. Major manufacturing sites in the UK—like Solihull, Halewood, and Wolverhampton—and facilities in Slovakia, China, India, and Brazil have all been halted. Because of this, roughly 33,000 UK workers have been told to stay home through at least the first half of September. The disruption's impact has gone beyond just vehicle production, spilling over to suppliers too, many of whom have had to send their workers home because they can't get the necessary components. At first, JLR was trying to reassure everyone that none of their sensitive customer data had been compromised. But, interestingly enough, they later changed their tune and admitted that “some data” was affected. As far as specifics go—well, they haven’t really said much yet about what exactly was compromised. They did, however, mention that they’re working closely with regulators and will notify any parties that might be impacted. Cybersecurity experts industry-wide are warning that this kind of exposed data could make companies more vulnerable to phishing scams and identity theft—so, yeah, it highlights that even big, well-established automakers aren’t immune to these vulnerabilities. The group claiming responsibility for the attack is a teen hacker collective with a pretty fearsome name—"Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters." It’s actually a mash-up of three hacking groups: Scattered Spider, Lapsus$, and ShinyHunters. Despite law enforcement cracking down on them around the world, these groups still seem to be exploiting social engineering tricks and known security gaps to go after big corporations globally. What's also pretty worrying is that JLR isn’t alone in this—2025 has seen a surge of ransomware and cyberattacks targeting prominent British companies, including retailers like Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods. All in all, this event stacks onto a pretty tough year for JLR. The company’s been struggling with an 11% dip in quarterly sales, delays in production, and even had to pause shipments to the US because of tariffs. Profit margins have shrunk too. And at the same time, JLR is going through a major strategic shift—phasing out new petrol and diesel Jaguar models in favor of a fully electric lineup, led by the new CEO, PB Balaji. In the short run, JLR says it plans to bring their systems back online in a “controlled and safe manner,” with help from third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement agencies. Dealerships have apparently kept selling cars, but with a catch—they’re having trouble registering new vehicles, which is hitting the retail pipeline pretty hard. Some media outlets suggest this chaos could last for several weeks, but JLR hasn't really confirmed or denied any specific timelines. The impact on the aftermarket supply chain isn’t trivial either. Extended production stops could create serious bottlenecks in parts supply, affecting distributors, workshops, and fleet operators who depend on steady vehicle output and parts availability from JLR. This whole incident underscores the growing importance of beefing up cybersecurity defenses across manufacturing and retail networks, especially as digital integration becomes more central to operations. It also raises urgent concerns about data security, operational risk, and crisis readiness for OEMs and their suppliers alike. As JLR works to get back on track, watching how they respond and recover will be crucial for industry players. This experience really drives home how vulnerable even major automotive brands are in today’s cyber threat landscape—highlighting the need for coordinated security measures and adaptable supply strategies to lessen the impact of such disruptions. Honestly, it’s pretty clear that cybersecurity can’t be an afterthought anymore. Source: Noah Wire Services