News

Germany Becomes the World’s Second-Largest EV Producer

If there was ever any doubt that Germany could pivot from piston to plug, 2025 just erased it. According to fresh numbers from the Automotive Industry Association (VDA), Europe’s manufacturing heavyweight is now the second-largest producer of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on Earth, trailing only China. And it didn’t get there by inching forward—it got there by flooring the accelerator.

Last year, German factories built 1.22 million EVs and PHEVs, a national record and a 15-percent jump over 2024. That surge mirrors what’s happening across Europe, where EV sales climbed nearly 30 percent to about 2.6 million vehicles. In other words, this isn’t a niche wave anymore—it’s the new tide.

Still, China remains the colossus in the room. With 16.1 million new-energy vehicles rolling out annually—including battery EVs, plug-in hybrids, range extenders, and hydrogen models—it’s operating on a scale that makes the rest of the world look like a regional supplier. But Germany’s rise to second place is no small feat, especially for a country whose identity has been built around mechanical precision and internal-combustion dominance for more than a century.

What makes the shift more impressive is that it’s happening without a collapse in overall production. German plants built 4.15 million passenger cars last year, a 2-percent increase over 2024. The real story, though, is what those cars are. Nearly 30 percent were fully electric, and when you add plug-in hybrids, about 40 percent of everything built in Germany now has a charging port. That’s not a transition—that’s a transformation.

At the brand level, Volkswagen continues to own the European EV conversation. In 2025, VW sold almost 275,000 electric vehicles, a 56-percent year-over-year increase that underscores how aggressively the group is pushing into the battery era. Tesla, meanwhile, had a rougher year on this side of the Atlantic, with European sales down 27 percent to 238,765 vehicles. The Model Y may still be a familiar sight on Autobahns and boulevards, but the competitive landscape is no longer a one-brand show.

Taken together, the numbers paint a clear picture: Germany isn’t just adapting to electrification—it’s shaping it. With nearly half of its production now electrified and volume growing, the country is positioning itself as Europe’s EV engine room, even as China sets the global pace.

For enthusiasts and industry watchers alike, it’s a strange but fascinating moment. The nation that gave us the Nürburgring and the flat-six is now just as defined by kilowatts and battery packs. And judging by the trajectory, Germany’s electric chapter is only just beginning.

Source: VDA

Tuning

AC Schnitzer Turns the BMW i5 Into a Stealthy Electric M5

By now, the G60-generation BMW 5 Series has settled into its role as Munich’s tech-heavy, executive express, and its all-electric i5 sibling has proven that electrons don’t have to mean anonymity. Still, if you’re the kind of owner who wants your EV to look less like a boardroom shuttle and more like it’s late for a Nürburgring lap, AC Schnitzer has been quietly cooking up exactly what you need.

The longtime BMW tuning house has rolled out a full suite of visual and chassis upgrades for the i5, applying the same hardware it previously offered for the gas-powered G60/G61 models. The result is a sedan that looks like a toned-down M5—muscular without crossing into boy-racer territory.

The transformation starts at the nose. A new front splitter sharpens the i5’s face and visually lowers the car, and it’s matched with more assertive side skirts and not one but two rear-spoiler options. Touring models get their own tailored wing, because even your electric family hauler deserves a little aerodynamic swagger. All of these pieces are designed to work with BMW’s M Sport package, which already gives the i5 a more aggressive set of bumpers from the factory.

AC Schnitzer also offers striped side decals for anyone who thinks subtlety is overrated, but the real show-stealers are the wheels. Three different designs are available, in finishes and sizes ranging from 19 to 21 inches. The photo car wears 21-inch AC3 FlowForming five-twin-spoke alloys, filling out the arches nicely and pairing up with red brake calipers for a splash of visual drama. It’s the kind of detail that makes pedestrians do a double take—and then realize it’s not an M5 after all.

To make sure the stance matches the looks, AC Schnitzer fits shorter coil springs that drop the i5 by 20 to 25 millimeters, along with spacers that widen the track by 20 mm. The effect is simple and effective: the i5 sits lower, looks wider, and appears far more planted than the buttoned-up stock car.

The donor vehicle here is the i5 M60 xDrive, the baddest electric 5 Series BMW sells. With two motors delivering a combined 601 horsepower and 820 Nm of torque, it’s already plenty quick in factory trim. AC Schnitzer isn’t touching the powertrain for now—electrons are apparently off-limits—but if history is any guide, the upcoming combustion-powered M5 won’t be so lucky.

Pricing, as always with German tuners, is à la carte. The front splitter will set you back €1,290, the side sills €840, and the roof spoiler €490, with an additional €540 if you opt for the more subtle rear lip. Wheels are the biggest ticket item, running up to €5,390 depending on size and finish. Add €486 for spacers and €581 for the lowering springs, and you can build an i5 that looks every bit as menacing as its M-badged cousin—without waiting for BMW to do it themselves.

For enthusiasts who want their electric executive sedan to project more Autobahn attitude and less airport-hotel anonymity, AC Schnitzer’s i5 package might be the perfect plug-in personality upgrade.

Source: AC Schnitzer

News

Tesla Semi Enters Full Production at Last

By the time Tesla’s Semi rolls into full production this year, it will have taken one of the longest victory laps in modern automotive history. Nearly ten years after Elon Musk first pulled the wraps off the futuristic electric big rig in 2017, Tesla now says the Semi is finally ready for true mass production and customer deliveries. And, for the first time, we have a clear picture of what the production-spec truck actually is.

The short version? It’s big, it’s powerful, it’s very fast to charge—and it’s probably not going to be cheap.

Two Trucks, One Mission: Kill Diesel

Tesla will sell the Semi in two flavors: Standard Range and Long Range. Both are rated for a gross combined vehicle weight of 37.2 tons (about 82,000 pounds), meaning they’re designed to haul a full-size trailer without excuses. Underneath, both versions use a tri-motor drivetrain producing 800 kW, or 1072 horsepower—a figure that would have sounded absurd in trucking a decade ago, but now sits at the heart of Tesla’s diesel-disrupting pitch.

The Standard Range Semi is rated for 523 km (325 miles) on a full load. The tractor itself weighs about 9 tons, leaving room for a 28-ton payload, and Tesla claims an energy consumption of 1.7 kWh per mile—an impressively low number for something that can tow a small apartment building down the highway.

Step up to the Long Range Semi and the range jumps to 805 km (500 miles). Tesla still won’t officially say how big the battery is, but at the same consumption rate, it works out to roughly 900 kWh—which is about 13 times the capacity of a Model Y. The tradeoff is weight: the tractor grows to 10.5 tons, cutting payload to 26.7 tons. For long-haul operators, though, that extra range will likely be worth the hit.

Megawatts, Not Kilowatts

The Semi’s other headline feature is charging. Both versions use the Megawatt Charging System (MCS 3.2), allowing peak charging power of up to 1.2 megawatts. That’s not a typo. Tesla says the battery can go from empty to 60 percent in just 30 minutes, roughly the length of a mandated driver break. In theory, that makes the Semi viable for real-world freight cycles, not just short shuttle routes.

Tesla has also built in an electric power take-off (ePTO) system delivering up to 25 kW, letting the truck run refrigerated trailers, hydraulic systems, or other auxiliary equipment without firing up a diesel generator. It’s a small detail that matters a lot in commercial use.

The Slow Road to Production

This isn’t Tesla’s first time building Semis. Limited production started back in late 2022, with early trucks going to PepsiCo, followed by smaller fleets at Walmart and DHL Supply Chain. Those pilot programs were essentially rolling test beds, feeding data back to Tesla while the company ironed out the last production wrinkles.

Now Tesla says it’s ready to scale up, turning what was once a flashy prototype into an actual product you can order.

The Price Nobody Wants to Talk About

And that brings us to the elephant in the loading dock: price.

Tesla is staying silent, but history gives us some clues. Back in 2017, Musk promised a $150,000 price for a roughly 300-mile Semi and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Those numbers look downright quaint in 2026, given inflation, battery costs, and the simple fact that the Long Range Semi now packs a battery larger than most houses.

One indirect hint came from Ryder, which quietly cut its Semi order from 42 trucks to 18 while keeping the total budget at $7.5 million. Do the math and you’re looking at something north of $400,000 per truck—a far cry from the original promise.

Even with sticker shock, the Tesla Semi is shaping up to be one of the most important EVs on the road. With over 1000 horsepower, megawatt-level charging, and real-world range numbers that make long-haul electrification plausible, it’s no longer just a Silicon Valley science project.

After almost a decade of waiting, Tesla’s electric big rig is finally ready to do what it was always meant to do: take on diesel where it actually counts—on the open road, hauling real cargo, for real customers.

Source: Tesla

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