FAST NEWS - Hubshop's Weekly Roundup / Week #15

1. Performance & Product Releases and New Arrivals

• Renault Twingo E-Tech - The numbers are in: Following the first demo deliveries in March, official figures released on April 1 confirm strong demand, with **1,182 registrations** already recorded. The city car priced under €20,000 is gearing up for its push into the private buyer market this summer.
• LPG returns at Renault: The new **Symbioz** SUV finally gets LPG this month. This engine option lowers its entry price, positioning the model as one of the most competitive offerings in the C segment against full hybrids.
• BMW iX3 "Neue Klasse": The first customer drives confirm an impressive real-world range of nearly **800 km** on the top-of-the-range versions. BMW appears to have pulled off its technological bet with its new dedicated platform.

2. Global News & Automaker Market

• March 2026 Review - A spectacular rebound: After two months of decline, the French market is back in the green with a **12.9%** increase in March (176,633 units). Renault Group shines with a 28.2% market share, while Stellantis stagnates at 25.6%.
• Tesla Model Y, France's new king: A bombshell in the March rankings. The **Tesla Model Y** is once again the best-selling car in France (7,023 units), narrowly ahead of the Dacia Sandero and the Renault Clio VI. The Renault 5 E-Tech slips to 10th place with 3,493 sales.
• Stellantis drops Tesla: Antonio Filosa (Stellantis' new CEO) announced on April 7 that the group is leaving Tesla's CO2 credit "pool". Stellantis will now rely on its alliance with Chinese automaker **Leapmotor** to meet European environmental standards, saving several hundred million euros in the process.

3. Motorsport - Suzuka Recap and Croatia Preview

• ⭐ F1 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli delivers again in Japan: The 19-year-old prodigy won the Japanese GP on March 29 ahead of his teammate George Russell. Mercedes scored a resounding one-two that puts them at the top of the constructors' championship. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) rounded out the podium.
• Max Verstappen's ordeal: A dark weekend for the reigning champion. Starting 8th, Verstappen was forced to retire (DNF) after mechanical issues on his Red Bull-Ford. He is now listed in an unusual 16th place in the Japanese GP results.
• WRC - Heading to Croatia (April 09-12): The world championship arrives this Thursday on the treacherous asphalt of Rijeka. After Toyota's setbacks in Kenya, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) will be under pressure to take control against the Evans-Solberg armada.

4. Upcoming Auto Events & Must-Sees

• Croatia Rally kicks off: The asphalt season opens with brand-new stages in the Lika-Senj highlands.
• Auctions - "Youngtimers" Special (April 12): A major sale will take place this Sunday, spotlighting '90s Japanese sports cars, whose values keep climbing in early 2026.
• New CO2 Penalty Tax: A reminder for buyers: the threshold has been set at **108 g/km** since the start of the year, hitting the last remaining stock of pure combustion models hard.

5. Performance Pick of the Week

Stellantis' Leapmotor strategy: By choosing to build Chinese models in Spain to offset its CO2 credits rather than paying Tesla, Stellantis is making a bold industrial bet. It's proof that European industry now prefers to team up with its Asian rivals to survive the forced transition to electric.

See you next week for our analysis of the Croatia Rally results!