Honda + Hitachi, Toyota, BMW, Renault, Hyundai.

Japan joins for e-drives: Honda and Hitachi Automotive plan to form an EV motor joint venture this July. They aim for large volumes as they hope to supply other manufacturers as well. Facilities are planned in Japan, but also USA and China. Honda is to launch the Clarity as EV later this year.
bloomberg.com, reuters.com, greencarcongress.com

Yaris makeover: Toyota gave a face lift to the Yaris that is feasible inside and out. More than 900 components including the bumper have been revised but most importantly, the hybrid is now more quiet. A new engine apparently does the trick but details have to wait until Geneva.
leftlanenews.com

E-scooter subsidy: BMW’s electric scooter C Evolution qualifies for the electric bike incentive in the UK. 1,500 GBP granted by the government lower the rather hefty price of the scooter from 12,230 to 10.730 pounds. Of the 35m GBP programme, 3.75m is earmarked for electric motorcycles and scooters.
motorcycle-magazine.com

Renault takes over PVI: French PVI (Power Vehicle Innovation) now belongs to Renault. The specialist retrofitter for commercial vehicles had worked with the carmaker before on the Renault Master ZE in January. PVI currently offers three electric powertrains and Renault hopes to benefit from their flexibility.
greencarcongress.com, ngtnews.com

EV first: Hyundai Ioniq Electric is to launch in the States this week. It is a soft approach first, to test the waters while a bigger campaign will start in March. The PHEV version will follow in autumn.
insideevs.com, wardsauto.com