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BMW absorbed a near 25 per cent drop in first-quarter pre-tax profit while reaffirming full-year guidance, sending its shares almost 5 per cent higher as the German premium carmaker leaned on record European order intake and the rollout of its Neue Klasse electric platform to offset the bite of US tariffs and a contracting Chinese market. Group earnings before tax fell to €2.35bn for the three months to March, down from around €3.1bn a year earlier but ahead of the €2.2bn con

Italo, Italy's largest private high-speed rail operator, is preparing a €3.6bn push into Germany that would mount the most ambitious challenge yet to Deutsche Bahn's grip on Europe's largest long-distance passenger market. Chief executive Gianbattista La Rocca has confirmed the carrier intends to launch services in mid-2028, deploying an initial fleet of 26 Siemens Velaro trainsets across roughly 1,300km of network linking 18 German cities. An option for a further 14 trains s

Lufthansa Group narrowed its first-quarter loss and held annual guidance on Wednesday, even as Europe's largest airline warned that the Middle East conflict would add €1.7 billion to its 2026 fuel bill. The German carrier reported record first-quarter revenue of €8.7 billion, up 8% year on year, while its adjusted operating loss narrowed by €110 million to €612 million. Net debt fell to €5.3 billion from €6.4 billion at the end of 2025, and liquidity stood at €10.3 billion. C

Rheinmetall and MSC have confirmed talks to jointly take over Mangalia, the bankrupt Black Sea shipyard, in a deal that would marry German defence ambitions with the world's largest container line and create a dual-use production hub on Europe's eastern flank. The Düsseldorf-based group said it was considering substantial investment alongside the Swiss carrier to upgrade the site into a dual-use facility for both military and civilian shipbuilding. Under bankruptcy rules, the

European auto manufacturers are pushing for a swift conclusion to EU-US trade trilogues opening in Brussels on Wednesday, as Donald Trump's threat to lift tariffs on EU-made vehicles to 25 per cent raises the stakes for a sector already facing margin pressure from Chinese competitors. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), whose members include Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault and BMW, urged co-legislators on Monday to find common ground and finalise the le

London-based infrastructure investor John Laing has reached financial close on a roughly €800 million transaction to finance 61 Siemens Mobility battery-electric trains for regional services in north-west Germany, marking the firm's return to the country's rolling stock market and one of the largest private investments in European zero-emission rail this year. John Laing has taken an 89 per cent equity stake alongside specialist asset manager Rock Rail, with MetLife Investmen

Stellantis shares were languishing near 52-week lows this week as investors digested a Q1 print that beat at the operating line but raised fresh questions over the Franco-Italian-American group's cash generation, just three weeks before chief executive Antonio Filosa unveils his strategic reset. The owner of Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën, Opel and Jeep posted net revenues of €38.1bn for the first quarter, up 6 per cent year on year, with adjusted operating income nearly tripling to

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a dedicated Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service designed to keep cargo moving between European exporters and Gulf customers as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut to commercial traffic. The world's largest container carrier, headquartered in Geneva, will sail its first vessel from Antwerp on 10 May, with a single-direction rotation calling at Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia

Scandinavian Airlines has warned that Europe is on course for a structural shortage of electro-sustainable aviation fuel, raising the prospect of higher fares, route cuts and a fresh energy vulnerability for the bloc just as its flagship ReFuelEU Aviation regulation enters into force. In a report published this week, the carrier said no European e-SAF production facility has yet reached Final Investment Decision, even as legally binding submandates begin to bite from 2030. Sc

Cargounit, Central and Eastern Europe's largest independent rolling-stock leasing company, has taken delivery of its 50th Siemens Vectron MS multi-system locomotive, marking a milestone in a procurement programme that could ultimately exceed 150 units and reshape the region's cross-border freight market. The handover of the latest unit, named "Ignacy", was confirmed by the Polish lessor at the start of May. Cargounit has more than 60 additional Vectrons on firm order with Sie

Volkswagen on Thursday reported a sharper-than-expected drop in first-quarter profit, with Europe's largest automaker citing US tariffs and intensifying Chinese competition as headwinds that dragged operating earnings down by double digits. The Wolfsburg-based group posted operating profit of €2.5bn for the three months to March, down 14.3% year on year and well short of analyst expectations of nearly €4bn. Sales revenue eased 2.5% to €75.7bn, marginally above consensus, whil

Alstom shares closed at €16.36 on Wednesday, holding near 52-week lows, as investors brace for full-year results on 13 May that have become a defining test for new chief executive Martin Sion. The Saint-Ouen-based rail group has shed nearly 36% of its market value over the past three months, taking its capitalisation to around €7.5bn, after Sion used a hastily convened analyst call on 16 April to abandon a €1.5bn three-year free cash flow target that had been central to the c