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Automotive industry

Automotive industry
News about the global automotive industry with a focus on developments that matter most for the China market.
Tesla cars are displayed outside a showroom in Chongqing, China. Photo: Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s 91% February sales jump in China defies overall market slowdown

The US carmaker’s Shanghai Gigafactory delivered nearly 58,600 vehicles last month, with the Model Y topping the sales chart.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BMW sees smoother road ahead in China after sales skid in 2025

CATL

CATL profit jump fuels Hong Kong battery stocks amid global energy storage boom

Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely beats BYD sales in first 2 months of 2026 to become China’s top carmaker

Geely’s sales rise 1 per cent to 476,327 units in January and February, while BYD’s sales slump 38.5 per cent to 400,241 units.

Geely Auto’s sales of EVs jumped 10.1 per cent to 241,740 units in the first two months of the year from a year earlier. Photo: Shutterstock
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio forecasts surge in deliveries after first quarterly profit

The company’s turnaround highlights resilience in China’s EV market, defying a slowdown that has weighed on most domestic rivals.

China-EU relations

Why the ‘China threat’ was barely mentioned in Germany’s latest state election

Baden-Wurttemberg’s car industry is facing steep job losses amid intense Chinese competition. But local candidates largely avoided blaming China.

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CATL

China’s CATL profit surges 42% as global market share soars to all-time high

Surging demand solidifies CATL’s position as world’s top EV battery manufacturer for ninth consecutive year.

CATL’s 2025 sales volume of lithium-ion batteries rose 39 per cent from the previous year. Photo: AFP
Style Edit

Style Edit: BMW iX3 rewrites the EV rule book on range and sustainability

Based on the carmaker’s Neue Klasse platform, the new model has a sleek design, advanced tech and 805km range, all while cutting emissions.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Iran war oil shock accelerates Southeast Asia’s EV revolution

Southeast Asia was already going electric. Then war broke out in the Middle East and it started going faster.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Top Chinese EV makers are selling more cars overseas than at home

Top EV makers such as BYD, Great Wall Motor and Chery are selling more cars in overseas markets than at home.

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Last month, BYD sold 100,600 units overseas, 53 per cent of its total. Photo: AFP
CATL

China’s EV battery leader CATL to step up use of AI in R&D: founder

Billionaire Robin Zeng Yuqun promises higher investment, touts ‘resilient supply chain and ecosystem’ driving export growth.

A CATL battery design is displayed at an automotive trade show in Munich on September 5, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China should skip a step in self-driving cars, Xpeng CEO says

He Xiaopeng urges Beijing to clear way for a leap ahead in autonomous driving technology – a jump he promises to propose at the ‘two sessions’.

Two Sessions 2026

Chinese officials, car executives may discuss capping EV output

As China’s EV industry faces slowing growth, officials may discuss capping output and boosting tech innovation to combat price wars.

Autonomous vehicles

Breakthrough or hype? How WeRide aims to edge rivals in crowded robotaxi field

WeRide says its world model has slashed costs to support global expansion, but investors question if it can deliver a lasting advantage.

A simulated environment created by WeRide’s world model Genesis. Photo: Handout
Germany

BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory, as China competition heats up

The two AI-powered Aeon robots – touted as being smart enough to make their own decisions – will work alongside human staff.

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Aeon, a humanoid robot, is seen at a BMW facility in Munich, Germany, on Friday. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Geely bets on longer-range, faster-charging tech over fresh EV price war

‘We promise to compete based on technology, quality, brand, service and corporate ethics,’ Geely Auto CEO says.

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong autonomous vehicle tests move up a gear with longer routes

Routes on the North Lantau trial will cover up to 43.2km, with more vehicles allowed to operate at the same time.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | Germany’s outreach to China signals a reckoning, rather than a shift

The German chancellor realises that while China poses a long-term economic challenge, the United States is currently the more disruptive partner.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Electric & new energy vehicles

Low-cost models dominate China EV sales, surpassing Tesla and BYD

Geely’s and Wuling’s sub-100,000 yuan battery EVs ranked first and second in mainland China last year, each selling over 400,000 units.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV insurers move towards profitability on higher premiums, AI adoption

Chinese insurers are turning to AI as the technology cuts labour costs and enhances pricing accuracy.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

Zeekr is betting on European demand for high-spec models in its foray into Italy. Photo: Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

Speed bump ahead: rising battery costs nudge Chinese drivers towards hybrids

Higher lithium prices and the end of incentives are reshaping China’s EV market, with hybrids emerging as a more practical option for many.

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Workers produce lithium batteries in Qinyang, central China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua
Gold in Hong Kong

Copper, lithium unlikely to match gold’s gains as output rises: Goldman

Record gold prices have lifted sentiment across raw materials, but analysts expect differentiated returns as producers ratchet up output.

Luxury cars

Andrea Zagato on the Capricorn 01, coachbuilder Zagato’s first hypercar

The project blends Italian design flair and German precision thanks to engineering firm Capricorn, known for McLaren, Porsche and Bugatti collabs.

China-Latin America relations

Chinese steel hit with duties up to US$670 per tonne after Brazil dumping probe

Government anti-dumping investigation found Chinese imports were being sold at unfairly low prices, harming domestic producers.

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A worker stacks steel products meant for the export market at a factory in Binzhou, Shandong province, China, on April 15, 2025. Following two investigations, Brazil has imposed anti-dumping duties on a broad range of Chinese steel products. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

Has Trump ceded EV market to China with latest string of policy shifts?

Analysts say rolling back regulations pushes US further towards petrol cars, discourages EV innovation, and gives China competitive edge.

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The BYD Explorer vessel docks at Yantai port in eastern China’s Shandong province as it awaits the loading of Chinese electric vehicles for export overseas. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Colour matters: how AI is changing car premiums and services in China

Car colour, driving habits and location influence insurance premiums, according to a digital solutions provider using ByteDance’s AI model.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Ford plans US$30,000 budget EV line to take on Chinese rivals

Ford shrinks battery size while extending driving range in bid to launch the new EV by 2027 for the same price as a conventional petrol car.

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