Porsche, Volvo, Tesla, Mercedes, Lucid, LION E-Mobility.

Porsche first to discontinue diesel?: The premium brand may exit diesel, surely in an attempt to put some distance between its label and the treacherous mothership Volkswagen. Additionally, Porsche is currently pouring a billion euros into its Stuttgart plant to accommodate for the Mission E production with employees even foregoing parts of their regular pay rises temporarily. A decision on the engine line-up however, will only be made at the end of the decade and depends on EV sales and the effect of the electrification strategy that includes PHEV and the e-Macan. Together with Audi, the brand further plans to share a custom platform codenamed PPE to save money on components. To top it up, Porsche’s high-power charging tech has only recently been revealed and awaits its (inter?) national roll-out.
autonews.com

All-electric compact Volvo? An XC20 is in the making in Sweden and designed to complement the SUV range with a small model below the XC40 by 2019, Auto Bild reports. The XC20 shall sit on a modified platform already used by both Volvo and Geely’s Lynk & Co so it is very likely that this one will come electric only and in line with the latest electrification strategy.
autobild.de

Murdoch son on Tesla board: After shareholders had called for a board less familiar to Elon Musk, the EV maker hired two new directors, both with powerful bonds to media enterprises. Namely they are James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and CEO 21st Century Fox as well as Linda Johnson Rice who heads the Johnson Publishing Company. On a more productive note details on the Model 3 launch have been released. It will take place on July 28, at 7pm in Fremont, that is 4am in Europe and broadcasted via live stream.
tesla.com (board), insideevs.com (Model 3)

Sprinter spotted in Spain: Mercedes’ next-gen van has been caught testing in Spain but was still covered. An electric version is planned as well and will reportedly be made in Düsseldorf.
carscoops.com

Lucid is playing for money and time: The EV start-up from California has turned to the big guys such as Morgan Stanley and Ford as it continues to seek financing for its first electric sedan and a production plant planned in Arizona. Ford however turned an offer to buy Lucid Motors down as it is undergoing a 100-day review of its own operations. Lucid Motors now set the start of production by 2019, a year later than initially announced. It’s Air EV is up for speed records though.
bloomberg.com

LION E-Mobility in the States: Swiss Holding LION E-Mobility has set up a subsidiary with head quarters in New York City. Under CEO Roland Bopp it will offer electric storage solutions and engineering services to suppliers and other transport sectors as well as.
dgap.de