France is set to become Eramet’s largest shareholder by increasing its stake during a €500 million ($558.50 million) capital increase later this year, the French mining group said on Monday…Nickel, manganese and lithium producer Eramet had announced in February it would conduct a capital hike to help recover from a slump in earnings and a jump in debt…The French state will raise its stake to up to 49%, from 27% currently, by acquiring some of the holding of the Duval family, at the moment Eramet’s biggest shareholder with a 37% stake, Eramet said in a statement…The group chose the French state’s proposal as “the best solution” to secure Eramet’s financial position and reinforce supply of strategic metals to France and Europe, Chair and CEO Christel Bories told reporters on a call.

Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. plans to launch in Canada next year, positioning it be the first Chinese mass market electric vehicle maker to establish a presence in the North American market…The carmaker has begun setting up a retail and service network in the country ahead of the 2027 start, according to a company statement Friday. Geely, which owns premium EV brands including Zeekr and Lynk & Co as well as more affordable offerings, didn’t specify a start date for sales or which models would be available…The move marks a significant step after Ottawa and Beijing reached an agreement in January to allow a limited number of Chinese EV exports to Canada. As trade disputes deepen with the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration is looking to forge new alliances, including by allowing Chinese automakers in and hoping to attract investments from them…Chinese carmakers are expanding aggressively to markets around the world, with the notable exception of the U.S., which has steep tariffs and restrictions on connected vehicles in place that essentially ban Chinese vehicles from America.

Europe's two auto industry bulwarks, Volkswagen and Stellantis used this year's Paris auto show ​to signal growing confidence in their electric vehicles, adopting lessons from the Chinese rivals and partners now reshaping their home market…Both companies ‌are undergoing strategic overhauls to address the growing competition of Chinese rivals in the European market, but announcements by Stellantis on Monday also showed more scope for collaboration…Stellantis entered a production tie-up with Leapmotor earlier this year and plans another with Dongfeng ​as part of a strategic shift under Filosa — partnerships now set to be localised to satisfy incoming "Made in Europe" regulations…Europe's transition to EVs has accelerated in recent months, spurred ​by rising fuel prices and more affordable models, including from Volkswagen and Stellantis' mass-market brands. Both are battling to defend their market share against Chinese players expanding rapidly abroad to counter a downturn in their home market…"We are seeing how the BEV (battery electric vehicle) is getting traction that we were not expecting one year ago, also in countries like Italy and Spain ​where the BEV is less adopted," said Danilo Annese, CEO of Leapmotor International, the Stellantis-led joint venture…Volkswagen's turnaround has also been heavily ​influenced by China, which CEO Oliver ​Blume has called a "fitness centre" for ⁠the industry…However, its effects in Europe have been indirect at best. Volkswagen's partnership with Xpeng focuses on the Chinese market, while cooperation in Europe remains largely hypothetical — an idea floated previously by Blume to fill excess plant capacity, but with concrete talks ​yet to emerge.

The US auto market will eventually embrace electrification despite a slow uptake of electric vehicles so far, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa ​said on Tuesday, predicting the shift will happen more slowly than ‌in other regions…Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the Paris motor show, Filosa said EVs accounted for 7% of US auto sales this year, unchanged ​from five years ago…Despite the slower pace of adoption, Filosa said he "truly" believed electrification would eventually take ​hold in the US…Filosa also said the automotive sector was becoming less global as trade barriers reshape markets…"The recent trade regimens around the world have ​triggered the process ​of regionalisation. So, ⁠what was the global industry before, now it's less global and more regional," he said.