In 2024, Dutch car sales increased 16.5% year-on-year to 531,000 units, with the BEV ratio rising to 34.7%.
VW maintained the top position, with Renault and Volvo Car performing well.

On the other hand, production volume was down significantly for the land VDL Nedcar due to the end of MINI production.
As BEVs continue to spread toward the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the electricity grid is becoming increasingly tight, and measures are being taken throughout the Netherlands.

In China, the commercialization of unmanned delivery vehicles and drones is progressing rapidly against the backdrop of the growth of the food delivery and e-commerce (EC) markets.
In urban areas, EC giant Jingdong (JD) and food delivery and supermarket operator Meituan have developed their own unmanned delivery vehicles and drones for last-mile delivery.

The company’s unmanned delivery vehicles and drones are being used for last-mile deliveries because 1) the cost of sensors such as LiDAR, cameras, and millimeter wave radar has been reduced and the cost of sensor-equipped unmanned delivery vehicles has also been lowered.
2) The use of the Beidou satellite positioning system, China’s version of GPS, is expanding.
3) The installation of 5G base stations is increasing.
4) Automated driving technology is evolving with the introduction of end-to-end technology in which AI technology controls everything from recognition of the vehicle’s surrounding environment to vehicle control.
The following are some examples.

In Japan, indirect costs such as legal regulations and administrative guidance are too costly, which is an obstacle to the development of technology and society.