Smart, Mercedes, PSA, Porsche, Opel, Mini.

New electric Smart to use Renault tech: At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Daimler and Renault-Nissan announced that they will further strengthen their partnership. Under the new agreement, the upcoming all-electric versions of the Smart Fortwo and Smart Forfour, which will go on sale late 2016, will use a modified version of Renault’s electric motor currently used in the Zoe. The battery of the new Smart EVs will be produced by Daimler’s subsidiary Deutsche Accumotive in Kamenz, Germany.
autocar.co.uk, greencarcongress.com, renault.com

Mercedes confirms Tesla competitor: Speaking to Automotive News, Daimler’s head of product development, Thomas Weber, confirmed plans to develop an all-electric model to compete with Tesla. Weber said that Mercedes-Benz plans to begin selling an electric vehicle with a range of 400 to 500 kilometers (250 to 310 miles) by possibly 2018.
autonews.com, autoguide.com

PSA goes all-electric: Peugeot-Citroën will develop an electric vehicle, set to launch in 2020. For it, the carmaker will be working together with its Chinese Dongfeng Motor, says PSA’s Gilles Le Borgne, while continuing its cooperation with Mitsubishi on current-generation EVs.
reuters.com, autonews.com

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Will Porsche challenge Tesla? Porsche has yet to decide if its electric Mission E concept will go into production. According to Porsche CEO Matthias Müller, a decision will be made this autumn and the production version of the all-electric Porsche could hit showrooms by the end of the decade.
wirtschaftsblatt.at (in German)

Opel EV confirmed: General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that GM’s European subsidiaries Opel (Germany) and Vauxhall (Britain) will introduce 29 new models by 2020, including an electric vehicle. Barra added that GM will also introduce a new electric vehicle in Europe, which will not be based on the Chevrolet Bolt.
autocar.co.uk

No electric Mini: A new all-electric Mini is “a possibility, but not in the near future,” Ralph Mahler, head of the brand’s product management, said at the Frankfurt Motor Show. He went on explaining that Mini currently sees only one European market with high demand for EVs – Norway.
autoexpress.co.uk