Volvo, Nissan, Skoda, Tesla, Hyundai, China.

100 kWh Volvo EV by 2019: The Swedes offer details on their electrification. Mats Anderson, Volvo’s head of Electric Propulsion Systems introduced the Modular Electrification Platform (MEP). It fits electric drives from 100 – 450 kW and battery packs as large as 100 kWh. Expect such Volvo EV by 2019 and mild-hybrids the same year. Anderson also had a few news on PHEV. A 3-cylinder variant with 55 kW motor is due next year. Its 9.7 kWh battery takes both CCS and CHAdeMO.
greencarcongress.com

Nissan’s Leaf has a whole new look fresh spy shots reveal. While the little bestseller is too shy to let go of the mask just yet, glimpses manifest design elements carried over from the 2015 IDS Concept.
autoblog.com

Two Skoda EV? The VW up! is electrified already but may grow more EV twigs on the Volkswagen family tree. The Seat Mii is up for electrification by 2019 and Autobild reports that Skoda will make the Citigo electric, too. It will not stay a single child for long but may be joined by and electric compact SUV, a cousin of the Audi Q4.
autobild.de (E-Citigo), autobild.de (E-SUV), in German

EV makers to expand: Electric cars are on course to cross new frontiers. Tesla has set eyes on India and hopes to make it there this summer, tweeted Elon Musk. Renault is on electric mission in Israel, while Hyundai travelled south until the Ioniq docked in New Zealand.
twitter.com (Tesla), hamodia.com (Renault), stuff.co.nz (Hyundai)

Made for China: While Hyundai has postponed the Sonata launch last week due to China’s protection of its home market (we reported) the Koreans are not to give up to access to the biggest single market yet. Their Beijing facility is tasked to make an electric variant of the Avante, or Elantra, with Chinese built batteries. Production will start in the second half of this year as on-sale is set at the start of 2018. In domestic matters, Beijing just approved two more new energy vehicle projects. Manufacturers Fujian Yudo New Energy Automobile and National New Energy Vehicle gear up to make 115,000 fully electric cars. Investment stands at 6.15 billion yuan (896.5m dollars).
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com (Hyundai), xinhuanet.com (domestic)