William Wilkes

Stay informed with William Wilkes’s coverage and analysis for Fortune.

Stella Li, vice president of BYD Co., during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Founders Forum Global conference in Great Tew, UK, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The conference connects founders with influential investors, CEOs, and government officials. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

BYD manager calls EV price war it helped spark unsustainable

By William Wilkes, Tom Mackenzie, and others

A Mercedes-Benz GLA 220 4Matic sport utility vehicle (SUV), produced by Mercedes-Benz AG, stands on display ahead of the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, March 6, 2017. The show opens to the public on March 9, and will showcase the latest models from the world’s top automakers. Photographer: Luke Macgregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mercedes weighs pulling U.S. entry-level cars over tariffs

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg

A protester wears an Elon Musk face mask and holds a sign that says, "I love fascism"

Musk’s election interference is rattling German political class

By Bloomberg, Arne Delfs, and others

LOHE-RICKELSHOF, GERMANY – MARCH 25: A worker wearing a helmet and bright yellow jacket is seen at the construction site for the new Northvolt Gigafactory electric car battery factory on March 25, 2024 in Lohe-Rickelshof, Germany. The factory, dubbed Northvolt Drei, will be powered by renewable energy and will eventually produce one million electric car batteries per year. (Photo by Gregor Fischer/Getty Images)

Europe’s big battery ambitions are failing, and China is benefiting

By Stefan Nicola, Wilfried Eckl-Dorna, and others

Employees work on the production line of the 100% electric Ford Explorer at the Ford Electric Center Factory in Cologne, western Germany, June 4, 2024. (Photo by Roberto Pfeil / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO PFEIL/afp/AFP via Getty Images)

Ford plans 4,000 more job cuts in Europe as EVs lose momentum

By William Wilkes, Jamie Nimmo, and others

During touchdown on runway 14 of Zurich International airport, smoke from burned rubber is raising from the tires of an Airbus A319-100 passenger aircraft of German Lufthansa.

Lufthansa reports record sales as premium travel keeps on giving

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA – OCTOBER 28: A general view of “BYD·D Space”, China’s first BYD New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Science Museum, on October 28, 2024 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province of China. The four-story, 15,000-square-meter museum aims to engage the public with a rich blend of car culture, design, technology, and interactive experiences. (Photo by Jiao Xiaoxiang/VCG via Getty Images)

Mercedes and Porsche’s fight with China is coming close to home

By William Wilkes, Chunying Zhang, and others

Signage at a Mercedes-Benz Group AG dealership in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Mercedes-Benz is scheduled to release earnings results on Oct. 25. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mercedes pledges cost cuts after China slump hits margin

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg

The Renault R4 E-Tech automobile display pavilion at the Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. “We are finally to starting to see smaller vehicles and more affordable EVs,” said Serge Gachot, director of the Paris show. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

European carmakers descend on Paris to showcase low-cost EVs

By William Wilkes, Albertina Torsoli, and others

Karin Radstrom, chief executive officer of Daimler Truck Holding AG, during the Federation of German Industries (BDI) conference in Berlin, Germany, on Monday, June 24, 2024. Germany’s business outlook declined for the first time in five months, a sign that the gradual recovery in Europe’s biggest economy faces headwinds. Photographer: Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Germany’s DAX 40 has a new female CEO: Daimler Truck appoints Karin Radstrom as next head in rare move

By William Wilkes, Nicholas Comfort, and others

The Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class electric vehicle (EV) automobile during preparations ahead of the Munich Motor Show (IAA) in Munich, Germany, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. The biennial motor show, one of Europe’s most important automotive events, opens on Tuesday, Sept. 5, with the future of the car industry in the balance. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mercedes unveils electric vehicle with longer range than any Tesla as China threat grows

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg

09 October 2021, Brandenburg, Grünheide: Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands on a stage at the Tesla Gigafactory for the open day. In Grünheide, east of Berlin, the first vehicles are to roll off the production line from the end of 2021. The US company plans to build around 500,000 Model Ys here every year. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Elon Musk laughed at the idea that Tesla’s German Gigafactory would use too much water. Now it’s a main reason why the plant isn’t open

By Monica Raymunt, William Wilkes, and others

03 June 2020, Austria, Schönberg: A motorhome from Germany drives over the Europabrücke bridge towards Italy shortly before the Brenner Pass. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images)

On vacation in Italy, Volkswagen CEO fumes there are no functioning charging stations for his ID.3

By Bloomberg and William Wilkes

An ‘Alice’ electric aircraft manufactured by Eviation Aircraft Ltd., sits on display during the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, in Paris, France, on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. The show is the world’s largest aviation and space industry exhibition and runs from June 17-23. Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

DHL orders a fleet of all-electric planes as logistics sector gets serious about emissions

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg

Henry Cavill Attends Hugo Boss Event In Shanghai

In China, Hugo Boss faces an influencer revolt

By William Wilkes and Bloomberg