BMW iX3 crowned World Car of the Year 2026 as EVs lead the way
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
- Industry News
- 2 April 2026
In France, Italy and Spain, Stellantis is the best-selling car manufacturer on both electrified and all energy markets, with brand Fiat Professional occupying the number 1 spot as best-selling brand in Italy and a number 1 position for Peugeot and Peugeot e-208 in the electric market in France.
The Peugeot Partner/Rifter is the best-selling model in Spain on all energy markets, achieving a 9.7% market share in the first month of the year.
Stellantis is leader on the full electric market in the UK, showing a market share over 33% and an increasing market share on the all-energy market resulting in a 2nd place (27.17% market share); Vauxhall equally shows success, with its share increasing by 1 percentage point compared to last year, rising to 9.85% - making Vauxhall the third best-selling LCV manufacturer in the UK.
In Germany, Stellantis has been particularly successful in light commercial vehicles with its Citroën, Fiat Professional, Peugeot and Opel brands: thanks to significant sales growth (up around 58%), the market share of the new Stellantis Pro One business unit has increased significantly. With a market share of 22.6%, almost one in four new light commercial vehicles registered in Germany in January came from a Stellantis brand.
With a market share of 48.6% on the all-energy market, Stellantis is the undisputable leader in Portugal. Furthermore, Stellantis Pro One continues to stand out for its leadership in the electric market with January sales increasing by 22.4% and securing a market share of 46.2%, with Peugeot being the No 1 best-selling Brand.
In addition to this strong start of the year, Stellantis will be delivering a fleet of Peugeot e-Expert Hydrogen to French company Hysetco, the European leader in Hydrogen mobility, in the coming months.
They will be offered to professionals as part of the Hysetco package, which includes all associated services (servicing, maintenance and repairs, insurance, replacement vehicles, administrative formalities, training, etc) and will be specifically designed for passenger transport (wheelchair accessible taxis, shuttles, etc), logistics or other professional uses (as commercial vehicles).
This deployment will thus constitute the largest fleet of hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles for this type of use.
“With another delivery of hydrogen vehicles and our strong results in the beginning of 2024, Stellantis Pro One once again demonstrates it offers a divers and wide range of models, supporting our professional clients in their transition to zero-emission mobility. We are the first manufacturer in the world to market a range of hydrogen-electric vehicles covering two segments and offer our customers a solution to complement electric vehicles,” states Xavier Peugeot, Director of the Stellantis Pro One Business Unit.
While rising fuel prices often trigger spikes in interest around electric vehicles, Volvo Car South Africa believes the real reasons South Africans are starting to consider EVs go far beyond the petrol pump.
MG has opened a new engineering centre in Frankfurt as part of its “in Europe, for Europe” approach. The facility will focus on developing vehicles suited to European conditions, including climate, roads and driving habits. It will work alongside existing teams in the United Kingdom (UK) and London design hub.
Europe’s used electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a notable surge as the Iran conflict drives up global oil prices and pushes petrol costs sharply higher across the continent.