German passenger car sales up 16.0% in March 2026 as Tesla, BYD sales soar The number of new passenger car registrations in March jumped 16.0% YOY to 294,161 units, according to the German Federal Land Transport Authority (KBA). Electrification is progressing in Germany, driven by factors such as fuel cost savings and incentives, and strong sales from electric vehicle makers such as Tesla and BYD have propelled this trend. Looking at passenger ca...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/08

Toyota and Honda change “exit strategy” for FC technology Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) have changed their respective “exit strategy” for fuel-cell (FC) technology. Toyota plans to start the full-scale production of water electrolysis systems by utilizing FC vehicle technology from 2029. At the “H2&FC EXPO” that started in Tokyo on March 17, Toyota announced that its Honsha Plant (Toyota City, Aic...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/18

All-new Hyundai NEXO FCV with three grades to be released in Japan in early April It was reported that Hyundai Mobility Japan Co., Ltd. (Nishi Ward, Yokohama City) will release its all-new NEXO fuel-cell vehicle (FCV) in Japan in early April. The NEXO FCV will be offered with three grades and will be priced from JPY 7.5 million. The high grade will be JPY 8.2 million, and the grade with enhanced equipment will be JPY 8.35 million (including consu...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/18

Bosch presents new fuel-cell solutions for buses On March 10, Bosch presented the fuel-cell power module (FCPM) C100, a new version of its fuel-cell unit, at the Mobility Move trade fair in Berlin. The easy-to-integrate system is designed for city buses with a length of 12 to 18 meters and offers the usual CAN and diagnostic interfaces. It covers a power spectrum of 100 to 300 kilowatts. With its flat design and a height of only 40 centimeters, t...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/11

Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi expresses support for automotive industry’s growth strategy On March 9, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated regarding the Japanese automotive industry’s growth strategy that the government will make every effort to support the industry to maintain and strengthen international competitiveness. She stated that the government will accelerate the “multi-pathway strategy”, which pursues various opti...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/10

German passenger car sales up 3.8% in February 2026; Tesla sales rebound as Chinese makers continue to leap On March 4, the Germany Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) announced that new passenger car registrations in February 2026 increased 3.8% over the previous year to 211,262 units, led by strong sales of electrified and commercial vehicles. While many German makers saw their sales decline, sales of Skoda, Opel as well as Chinese makers, mostl...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/05

German passenger car sales down 6.6% in January 2026; Chinese makers gain as Germans struggle On February 4, the Germany Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) announced that new passenger car registrations in January 2026 decreased 6.6% over the previous year to 193,981 units, as the economy slows and the effect of the newly announced subsidy program for electric vehicle (EV) purchases takes time. While many German makers saw their sales decline, C...

News  Updated at: 2026/02/05

Japanese government to revise evaluation criteria for CEV Promotion Subsidy in April The Japanese government will revise evaluation criteria for the “Clean Energy Vehicle (CEV) Promotion Subsidy effective April 1. Although the details will be finalized later, the government is considering placing greater value on initiatives such as securing a stable supply of critical minerals and developing charging infrastructure, in light of the recent glob...

News  Updated at: 2026/01/21

Japan’s ruling parties announce tax system revision guidelines changing eco-performance tax policy On December 19, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party announced their newly developed “the ruling coalition parties’ guideline for tax system revision” for the fiscal year that starts in April 2026 (FY2026). This is the first guideline announced under the current coalition government. The environmental perfo...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/22

Nippon Kinzoku applies for patent on fuel-cell battery separator jointly with Toyota Nippon Kinzoku Co., Ltd. (Nippon Kinzoku) announced that it has jointly applied for patents on their fuel cell battery separator and its production method with Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota). With their original surface treatment technology, the newly developed separator realizes low contact resistance. Fuel-cell batteries have a structure of multiple layers o...

News  Updated at: 2025/12/16

Daimler Truck begins second test phase for Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Fuel-Cell trucks with new industry partners On November 13, Daimler Truck announced that it is starting the second test phase for Mercedes-Benz GenH2 fuel-cell trucks with 5 new partner companies i.e. Hornbach, Reber Logistik, Teva Germany (ratiopharm), Rhenus, and DHL Supply Chain. The aim is to test the trucks in different industries and real-world situations, and to use the results...

News  Updated at: 2025/11/13

Japanese government to accelerate GX policy with sector-specific policies to be released in 2025 The Japanese government plans to finalize its Green Transformation (GX) policy by sector this year, including reviewing and adding measures. It has recently convened a GX investment expert panel to check progress on investments made so far and organize agenda items. In the automotive field, it was reported that the ratio of electrified vehicles to the...

News  Updated at: 2025/10/22

Toyoda Gosei’s high-pressure hydrogen tank selected for new “Hino Profia Z FCV” heavy-duty truck Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. announced that its high-pressure tank has been adopted for Hino Motors, Ltd.’s new “Hino Profia Z FCV” heavy-duty fuel-cell truck, which will be released on October 24. The adopted tank stores hydrogen under a pressure of about 700 atmospheres. The Hino Profia Z FCV will be equipped with six tanks, which can hold abo...

News  Updated at: 2025/10/16

Bosch begins operation of first hydrogen truck at Nuremberg plant in Germany Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch) has started real operation of a fuel-cell electric truck for the first time in Europe at its Nuremberg plant in Germany. The goal is to reduce the company’s CO2 emission in logistics and to collect data for further development of future powertrain systems such as the Compact 190 and Compact 300 models. This project also aligns with the state o...

News  Updated at: 2025/10/14

The Japanese government to revise CEV subsidy program The Japanese government has started considering the possibility of decreasing subsidies for fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs), which are up to JPY 2.55 million, in the “subsidy program for the promotion of clean energy vehicles (CEVs)” to narrow the gap in subsidy amount between electric vehicles (EVs) and FCVs. The “NACS” charging specifications led by Tesla, Inc. are also likely to be added ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

Rohm develops new SiC module for high voltage, high current systems Rohm Co., Ltd. (Rohm) announced on September 16 that it has developed a new “DOT-247” silicon carbide (SiC) module suitable for high voltage, high current systems. The new DOT-247 has an optimized package structure consisting of two connected “TO-247” packages. Compared to the TO-247, the company has reduced thermal resistance by about 15%, and inductance (electromagnetic...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/17

Fuji Keizai forecasts global FC system market growth to JPY 18 trillion in FY2040 Fuji Keizai Co., Ltd. (Fuji Keizai, Chuo Ward, Tokyo) announced its investigation report on the trends in the global fuel-cell (FC) system market. In the fiscal year that starts in April 2040 (FY2040), the FC system market is expected to grow to JPY 18.23 trillion, a 45-fold increase from FY2024. The global FC truck market is likely to expand to JPY 3.63 trillion (a...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/09

Government of India slashes GST on cars, bikes, and auto parts to 18% On September 3, during its 56th meeting, the GST Council approved comprehensive tax reforms for India’s automotive industry. Key changes include: Small petrol, LPG, and CNG cars (≤1,200 cc, ≤4,000 mm): GST cut from 28% to 18%. Diesel cars (≤1,500 cc, ≤4,000 mm): GST cut from 28% to 18%. Motorcycles (≤350 cc) and three-wheelers: GST cut from 28% to 18%. Hybrid vehic...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/04

German passenger car sales up 5.0% in August, EV up 45.7%, PHV up 76.7% The number of August new passenger car registrations in Germany was 207,229 units, up 5.0% from the same month last year, and the total sales for the first eight months of 2025 were 1,874,820 units, down 1.7% from the same period last year, according to the figures released by the Germany Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) on September 3. Looking at passenger car registration...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/04

Toshiba Electronic Devices launches compact photorelay for automotive battery and BMS applications, output withstand voltage of 1500V On August 21, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation introduced its new automotive photorelay, the TLX9161T, achieving an output withstand voltage of 1500V. The device is designed to meet the high-voltage demands of modern automotive battery and fuel-cell control systems as well as battery management syst...

News  Updated at: 2025/08/26