Belgium in Flux: EV Milestone, OnePlus Exit, and German DIY Giant Arrives
Three distinct stories are reshaping Belgium’s economic landscape this week, spanning the accelerating electric vehicle transition, the departure of a beloved smartphone brand from Europe, and the arrival of a German DIY retail giant promising rock-bottom prices.
Electric Vehicles Cross a Psychological Threshold
For the first time, more than one in ten new cars purchased by Belgian private individuals is fully electric. According to data from the Belgian automotive federation Febiac, the EV share among private buyers reached 10.2% in the first half of 2026, up from 8.9% in 2025.
Overall, 230,681 new cars were registered in Belgium during H1 2026, with 36.1% being fully electric (BEV). When including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, electrified vehicles now account for 54% of all new registrations — a clear sign that the combustion engine’s dominance is waning.
“Electrification is anchoring itself sustainably,” Febiac stated in its press release. “New electric cars exceed the 10% market share threshold among private buyers for the first time.”
The business market remains the primary engine of this transition. A striking 59% of new company cars are fully electric, and nearly seven out of ten of the 83,282 new EVs registered were by corporate fleets. Febiac noted that “favorable tax treatment for zero-emission vehicles plays a major role” in driving business adoption.
Petrol still dominates among private buyers at 61.1%, but diesel has collapsed to just 2.6% — effectively marking the end of the diesel era in Belgium’s private car market. The second-hand EV market is also gaining momentum, with used EV registrations surging 42.5% year-on-year to 21,180 units, though they still represent only 5.9% of the used car market.
Regional disparities remain stark: Flanders accounts for 69.0% of new EV registrations, followed by Wallonia at 21.2% and Brussels at 9.8% — though Brussels saw the fastest growth at +61.6%.
OnePlus Exits Europe: The End of a Cult Brand
In tech news, smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is withdrawing from the European and North American markets. Parent company OPPO confirmed the news to Tweakers on July 16, marking the end of a 12-year run in Europe that began with the iconic OnePlus One in 2014.
OnePlus will continue operating in China and India, but European customers will no longer see new models on shelves. Existing users will retain warranty coverage and receive software updates, though their phones will eventually transition from OnePlus’s OxygenOS to OPPO’s ColorOS.
Industry analysts were unsurprised. As IT Daily’s Michaël Aussems put it: “With the departure of OnePlus from Europe, the local market loses a strong brand, but the impact in practice is very small. OPPO is taking over the torch.”
The strategic rationale is clear: OnePlus and OPPO had been cannibalizing each other’s sales. As OnePlus models grew more expensive — flagship devices now reaching €800–1,000 — they lost their “flagship killer” price advantage and began competing directly with OPPO’s Find X series. In a European market dominated by Samsung and Apple, maintaining two overlapping brands became unsustainable.
Where consumers will feel the loss most is in the mid-range segment. Aussems noted that “the biggest loss is in the mid-range and budget segment. The OnePlus Nord series was consistently unique.” OPPO’s Reno series is positioned as the closest replacement, though it doesn’t fully match the Nord’s value proposition.
Colos Brings German-Style DIY Retail to Belgium
Meanwhile, the Belgian DIY retail sector faces a major shakeup. Colos — the sister chain of Hubo, both owned by the same German parent company — opened its first Belgian store in Machelen (Flemish Brabant) on July 16.
Located on the former Makro site near Brussels Airport, the store is the largest DIY outlet in Belgium at 20,000 square meters, stocking 50,000 unique products. CEO Loïc Hardy told Het Laatste Nieuws that the concept is fundamentally different: “Why did Belgium need another DIY store? Because we do something completely different.”
Colos guarantees the lowest prices — but only compared to DIY competitors like Gamma, Brico, and Hubo. A price comparison of ten products found Colos cheapest in every case; a Bosch hedge trimmer cost €199 at Colos versus €219 at Brico and over €230 at Gamma. The catch is that non-DIY products — such as household cleaners — may be more expensive than at regular supermarkets.
Key competitive advantages include Sunday opening (unlike Gamma or Brico), a drive-in for quick material pickup open from 7:30 AM on weekdays, and exclusive brands like German paint manufacturer Alpina. Colos plans to open 10 to 15 locations across Belgium, with Sint-Pieters-Leeuw next in line.
Economist Pierre-Alexandre Billiet of Gondola is bullish on the chain’s prospects. “I estimate the chance of success for this project to be very high,” he said, noting that German giant Hornbach had also been considering entering Belgium. He sees Colos and Hubo as complementary rather than competitive: “Think of it like Ahold with Delhaize and Albert Heijn. They belong to the same company but focus on a different audience.”
What to Watch For
The EV market’s trajectory will depend on whether falling prices and new affordable models can sustain private adoption, especially as tax incentives evolve. OnePlus’s exit leaves a gap in the mid-range smartphone segment that OPPO will need to fill convincingly. And Colos’s expansion will test whether the Belgian market can support mega-format DIY retail — and how established players respond with pricing and Sunday openings of their own.
For Belgian consumers, these three stories share a common thread: more choice, more competition, and a market in rapid transformation.