Hyperdrive

The Big Miss on Electric Cars Is Remaking Europe’s Auto Industry

An ‘Airbus of autos’ is one of the ideas being floated to help Europe’s carmakers fend off existential threats.

Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born electric cars on the production line at the company’s plant in Zwickau, Germany.

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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Volkswagen, Renault and Stellantis are thinking the unthinkable, exploring tie-ups with sworn competitors to make cheaper electric vehicles and fend off existential threats.

As Chinese rivals and Tesla Inc. expose competitive weaknesses at Europe’s biggest mass-market carmakers, it’s become clear that a sense of urgency is growing and a business-as-usual approach is a losing option.