China's electric vehicle industry

The world's largest EV market
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China has one of the fastest growing EV markets in the world with an estimated 500 electric car makers having piled into the world's largest vehicle market. As the Chinese government prods indigenous innovation, home-grown brands such as Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto, have sprouted to get a larger slice of the market under the Made in China 2025 industrial master plan. What are the infrastructure limitations, socioeconomic factors, and battery market competition that are having an impact?

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News
China Business
CATL set up CharGo last year to enter the mobile electric vehicle charging robot market. Photo: Handout
China Business
EV battery maker CATL seeks new growth in clean tech ahead of Hong Kong listing
The company is exploring overseas expansion opportunities and revving up its charging robot initiative through its subsidiary CharGo.
CATL is expected to raise HK$35.66 billion from the sale of 135.6 million shares at HK$263 apiece. Photo: Reuters
China Business
CATL’s dilemma: top-of-the-range Hong Kong IPO price may cap first-day gains
EV battery maker’s 6.7 per cent discount to its Shenzhen-traded shares is much lower than the average 25 per cent discount for dual-listed Chinese firms.
The new P7 will be equipped with Xpeng’s indigenous Turing chip. Photo: Handout
China Business
Chinese EV maker Xpeng launches AI-chip powered P7 to take on Model 3, SU7
The next-generation P7 will start from about US$41,630 and hit the mainland Chinese market in July or August.
A fleet of unmanned trucks developed with Huawei’s autonomous driving solution, seen in Inner Mongolia. Photo: Handout
Big Tech
China deploys world’s biggest fleet of driverless mining trucks
The project aligns with the nation’s broader push to upgrade traditional industries with AI and other advanced technologies.
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A view of the headquarters of Contemporary Amperex Technology in Ningde, in southeast China’s Fujian province, on November 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
China Business
China’s CATL powers up for overseas push with US$4.6 billion Hong Kong IPO
City’s largest share sale in four years shows Beijing’s determination to push China’s EV technologies worldwide, analysts say.
Xpeng’s AeroHT conducts a test flight during the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2024. Photo: Xinhua
China Business
Chinese carmakers race to develop flying cars after rivalry in EV market
The government forecasts the low-altitude mobility economy will increase more than fivefold to US$486 billion by 2035 from last year.
New cars, including Chinese-made BYD electric vehicles, are parked at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, on October 24. Photo: Reuters
World Opinion
Opinion|Why Gulf countries are fertile ground for Chinese EV makers’ growth
The region could serve as a staging ground for Chinese carmakers seeking to bypass tariff-related disruptions and access Western markets.
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Trials of driverless vehicles have been extended in Hong Kong, with services and commercial applications, such as ride-hailing, possible within two years. Photo: He Penglei/China News Service
Transport
Hong Kong accelerates self-driving vehicle trials with Tung Chung expansion
City gearing up for the potential of autonomous services, including ride-hailing and minibuses, within two years.
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A model poses at the booth of Chinese carmaker BYD at last month’s Auto Shanghai show. Photo: EPA-EFE
Southeast Asia
China’s BYD becomes Singapore’s favourite car brand, outselling Toyota
The Chinese EV maker has surged ahead in the first four months of 2025, leaving Toyota and Tesla trailing behind.
A worker puts finishing touches to wheels for exports at a factory in Suqian in Jiangsu province. Photo: Getty Images
Banking & Finance
Tariff flux leaves Chinese car-parts makers in limbo on global growth plans
The fluid tariff situation makes planning difficult, particularly with regard to offshore investment, S&P analysts say.
BYD’s new electric vehicle factory’s construction site in Camacari, Brazil. Photo: Reuters
Americas
BYD factory delayed in Brazil to be ‘fully functional’ by end of 2026: official
BYD’s investment in Brazil – its biggest market outside China – aims to turn factory into complex with capacity to make 150,000 EVs a year.
An electric car charging station. Despite possessing some 6.9 million tonnes of rare earth reserves, India remains reliant on Chinese imports. Photo: Shutterstock
Economics
India’s EV drive risks stalling as China tightens grip on rare earth exports
Experts have urged India to explore innovative solutions to skirt the curbs, from e-waste recycling to extracting rare earths from oil wells.
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An Apollo Go robotaxi navigates the road in Wuhan, Hubei province, in July last year. Photo: Coco Feng
China EVs
Apollo Go expands robotaxi tests in Hong Kong as it aims for global reach
The Baidu unit has received an updated pilot licence, allowing it to double the number of robotaxis operating in a wider area.
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Chinese-made MG cars await loading onto a car-carrying ship in Yantai, Shandong province, on April 18. Photo: AFP
China Economy
What has supercharged China’s plug-in hybrid exports to UK?
The country exported 3,898 hybrid EVs to the UK in March, a year-on-year increase of 1,849%.
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Hong Kong’s car maintenance sector has slipped into a downturn due to increased EV ownership and a rise in motorists seeking repair services in mainland China, industry insiders have said. Photo: Antony Dickson
Hong Kong Economy
Hong Kong garages feeling squeeze but EVs offer chance for upgrade: experts
Rise in use of electric vehicles has left Hong Kong’s car repair sector in slow lane.
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A worker processes nickel at a smelter on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. Photo: Reuters
Economics
In Indonesia, nickel miners warn of mass lay-offs as royalty rise hits profits
The Indonesian government’s bid to boost state revenue and fund projects with higher mining royalties is being met with an industry backlash.
A BMW logo seen at the carmaker’s plant in Berlin, Germany. Photo: dpa
China EVs
BMW, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz recall nearly 70,000 vehicles in China
The large-scale recall follows a series of Chinese measures aimed at improving car safety after an accident involving a Xiaomi EV.
Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun speaks during a meeting in Beijing in March. Photo: AFP
Big Tech
Xiaomi founder has ‘hardest time’ since fatal crash involving its car
Lei Jun, an active social media user, has been relatively quiet on Weibo after a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi electric vehicle.
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DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng, in the background, follows an open-source approach in AI development. Photo: Shutterstock
Tech Trends
DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng ‘takes no short cuts’, Li Auto CEO says
That assessment reflects how Liang, an ‘extremely self-disciplined person’, led DeepSeek to become a true innovator in AI.
Visitors walk near electric-car manufacturer BYD’s booth at the Seoul Mobility Show 2025 in Goyang City, Gyeonggi province, South Korea, on April 8, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China Business
Chinese EV brands are coming for Hyundai, Kia on their home turf
Success in the Hyundai-dominated country could burnish the image of Chinese-made EVs globally, analysts say.
Toyota’s bZ4X electric car on display during the Gaikindo Indonesia International auto show in Tangerang, Indonesia on 10 August 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Companies
Chinese company may step in as LG exits Indonesia EV battery project
Indonesia’s state-owned Antara news agency reported that the Energy, Mineral and Coal Suppliers Association warned LGES’s exit could derail the EV industry road map.
FactSheet|China EV makers struggle for profits
Electric vehicles account for more than half of new car sales in China. Still, cutthroat price competition is squeezing margins industry-wide and leaving many smaller EV makers with losses.
The Tesla Gigafactory in Lingang new area outside Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
China Business
Tesla China deliveries drop as buyers favour cheaper domestic models
A sales increase in March proves short-lived, as April deliveries by the company’s Shanghai factory plunge nearly 26 per cent.
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The Zeekr 9X plug-in hybrid SUV is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show. Photo: Reuters
China Business
Geely Auto offers to buy full control of Zeekr, delist EV unit from NYSE
Take-private offer could cost Geely as much as US$2.24 billion, values the NYSE-listed firm at US$6.5 billion.
Visitors at the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition on April 26, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China EVs
Auto Shanghai: Chinese EV makers post record holiday sales amid Tesla’s no-show
Leapmotor recorded its best-ever one day sales on Monday; Geely Auto saw unprecedented buying spree during ‘golden week’ holiday.
A logo of the Chinese autonomous driving technology start-up is seen on a screen during an event in Beijing in 2021. Photo: Reuters
China EVs
Pony.ai, Uber to offer robotaxis in Middle East
Partnership will help both parties explore new markets in the Middle East and other international markets, according to statement.
Chery Auto sells cars under the brands Chery, Jetour, Exeed, iCar and Luxeed. Photo: Reuters
Banking & Finance
Chery gears up for US$1.5 billion Hong Kong IPO without Wall Street banks
Chery is working with the Hong Kong units of CICC, Huatai Securities and GF Securities as joint sponsors.
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Global Economy
China’s dying EV batteries are powering its circular economy in new-energy era
Recycling critical materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel are driving profits and shoring up China’s resource security as trade war with US hits supply chains.
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The lidar-free initiative in China would prove that “advanced technology doesn’t require expensive, complicated sensors”, according to Tesla. Photo: Shutterstock
Big Tech
Tesla pushes lidar-free self-driving system in China amid wait for FSD approval
The US carmaker said in a Weibo post that its ‘visual processing solutions’ provide safer intelligent driving in various scenarios.
Opinion
On Balance|How Trump’s erratic tariffs could crash his US car production goals
While levies may prompt some foreign carmakers to start scaling up US-based production, many see a market plagued by uncertainty and risk.
SCMP ColumnistRobert Delaney
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My Take|China’s ambitions in electric vehicles go beyond making lots of cars
To become a powerful car nation, China must lead in smart automotive technologies, China’s former industry minister argues.
SCMP ColumnistZhou Xin
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My Take|China’s green tech firms largely insulated from latest tariff war
With their reliance on the US market already limited, these battle-worn companies are better equipped to weather the coming decoupling storm.
Brian Rhoads
My Take|Will AI and robots drive China’s next consumer spending spree?
China is seeking the next ‘big items’ to encourage consumers to open their wallets. Technology looks to be a key.
SCMP ColumnistZhou Xin
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Editorial|Charging woes take the spark out of the electric vehicle surge
With strong demand for EVs expected to continue, it is important for authorities to foster development of vital infrastructure.
SCMP Editorial
1
Editorial|Robust exports show China is embedded in global supply chain
As Trump administration looms, record trade performance for 2024 will fuel talk of overcapacity and increase pressure on Beijing to rebalance the economy.
SCMP Editorial
Editorial|Accelerating electric dreams depends on smooth transition
The Hong Kong government is offering subsidies and enhanced infrastructure for recharging stations in push for bus and taxi operators to switch to EVs.
SCMP Editorial
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Outside In|Europe’s battery crisis a humiliating reminder of China’s EV dominance
The collapse of a Swedish EV battery maker underscores just how much the green transition still depends on supply chains dominated by China.
David Dodwell
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My Take|Tesla is getting love from Chinese state media, but can the affair last?
Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily praised Tesla for sparking an EV boom, but Musk’s role in a new Trump administration could complicate matters.
SCMP ColumnistZhou Xin
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Outside In|Italian fuss about China’s tiny tomato exports has bigger implications
Tomatoes are only China’s 708th biggest export. But the world is realising China can swamp markets with even small output shifts.
David Dodwell
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On Balance|Trump has stumbled upon a good idea for US climate change fight
Getting China to build electric vehicles in the US would be a boon to the country’s economy and transition away from fossil fuels.
SCMP ColumnistRobert Delaney
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The View|Indonesia and Philippines must clean up their nickel mines
A US report on worker exploitation adds urgency to the call for reform of an industry already battling accusations of environmental abuse.
Mohammad Yunus
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