Geely

Volvo is set to reveal an electric variant of its XC40 SUV later this year, the company has confirmed. Speaking with industry journal Automotive News Europe, at a safety event in Gothenburg, Sweden, Volvo officials indicated the EV will debut before the end of 2019, before hitting showrooms in global markets from 2020. The spokespeople declined to comment further, however.

Dieter Zetsche, outgoing CEO of Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, has said talks regarding electric commercial vehicles "are happening" with Tesla The two carmakers have been in contact since November, when Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, tweeted: "Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire." Speaking to Automotive News, Zetsche stated the "outcome [of the talks] is open".

Lotus looks likely to start manufacturing vehicles at a huge new factory in China, according to overseas reports. Reporting from newswire Reuters has revealed a US$1.3 billion factory is being readied in Wuhan Province, as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group gets its hands dirty in search of greater volumes and, subsequently, profits from the storied brand. The factory plans were uncovered in previously-unreleased government documents, backed by a number of job postings in the relevant area.

The London EV Company, the maker of London's iconic black taxi cabs, expects to begin fleet trials of its new range-extended electric van in the second half of 2019. The company is currently in discussions with a number of public-sector organisations, including the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police Service, about adding prototypes of its new van to their fleets.

Chinese car maker Geely, which also owns Volvo and Lynk & Co, has unveiled a new modular platform for Polo-class cars. Geely says BMA took four years to develop, and involved around 100 modular platform experts from 20 countries. Most of the work was reportedly done in the company's research and development centre in Hangzhou Bay.