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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.
Chinese EVs recovered firmly in May, with Zeekr breaking its monthly delivery record. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Why foreign marques are struggling to keep pace with Chinese EV demand

Domestic brands surge on fresh incentives and better batteries, while foreign carmakers fail to sustain their earlier market share.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s China sales surge to 2026 high, but rivals crowd the rear-view mirror

China-EU relations

China’s SAIC plans to build first EU car plant in Spain’s Galicia

Galicia’s leader Alfonso Rueda said his administration ‌had given the project an initial investment envisaged at around US$232 million.

Alfonso Rueda, president of the regional government of Galicia. Photo: EPA
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers recover in May but competition fierce amid overcapacity woes

Consumer willingness to embrace new tech, along with cash subsidies from local governments, gave the EV sector a much-needed boost.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Premium plan: China’s EV makers pin hopes on higher-margin models

New models from carmakers including Nio and Seres also challenge Tesla’s bestselling Model Y and cars from luxury German marques.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD aims for zero accidents with ‘God’s Eye’, vows crash cost coverage

EV giant pushes affordable autonomy with its system, aiming to make self-driving safer and accessible to mass-market consumers.

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A BYD booth at the Beijing Auto Show on April 30. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

Millions of Chinese consumers ditch their credit cards amid weak retail spending

Banks report there are 120 million fewer active credit cards in China with 687 million customer accounts, a dramatic drop from 2022’s peak.

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Made in China 2025

China’s machinery giant XCMG eyes bigger scoop of global sales

State-owned firm banks on intelligent manufacturing, green technology, product integration and digital services to boost sales overseas.

Artificial intelligence

Xiaomi is pouring billions into AI to future-proof its hardware empire

Beijing-based firm bets on frontier tech, from topping AI benchmarks to designing chips that rival Apple, to secure its long-term survival.

Xiaomi has recently committed more than US$8.8 billion to AI investments over the next three years. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Zelos looks to Middle East, Southeast Asia to turn a profit on robovan fleet

China’s robovan industry is in a period of consolidation, marked by the merger of Zelos with Cainiao’s autonomous-vehicle unit in January.

After merging with Cainiao’s autonomous vehicle unit in January, Zelos’ fleet of Robovans and other vehicles exceeds 20,000. Photo: Handout
Robotics

Inside the Chinese auto-glass maker whose chairman sat beside Elon Musk

Fuyao Glass, which holds 35 per cent of the world market for automotive glass, banks on automation to cement its position.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Does Xpeng’s 33% cut on 6-seat SUV portend a new price war?

The slashed price on the GX model ‘surprised the market’ in a segment carmakers have high hopes for amid slumping EV sales.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s FSD launch in China heats up competition with domestic EV makers

The long-awaited roll-out received approval from regulators a week after Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China as part of a US delegation.

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A Tesla owner drives hands-free in Amsterdam on April 17, days after Dutch regulators approved the use of the company’s self-driving software. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Chery plans for 1m EVs sold abroad amid global energy crisis

Anhui-based carmaker anticipates 27 per cent increase in foreign deliveries in 2026 as battery ranges improve and oil prices rise.

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Employees work on a factory production line for Chery’s electric vehicles in China’s Anhui province. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Nio slams EV price wars as costs surge, defying cuts by rival Li Auto

Nio and Li Auto take different approach to pricing new models, with one executive praising ‘reasonable’ carmakers that raise prices.

Energy

Video | Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol motorbike ban

The proposed ban has already been scaled back, as riders demand better infrastructure and government support before making the switch to electric.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese firm Xpeng builds driverless cabs, challenging Tesla’s FSD software

The EV maker has embarked on mass production of robotaxis using its own chips and plans to trial the tech before the end of the year.

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Xpeng’s first robotaxis roll off its production line. Photo: Handout
China manufacturing

China’s old ‘Motown’, Shanghai bets on robotaxis, better batteries to bump GDP

City authorities point at the need to lure foreign firms, while emerging sectors are expected to generate a trillion-yuan boost over the next 5 years.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Global growth of pure EVs faces hurdles in insurance, charging gaps: BNP Paribas

Charging limits and rising insurance costs could slow the global march of pure electric vehicles, BNP Paribas tells Hong Kong conference.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Peugeot, Jeep take on Chinese rivals with new models using local EV tech

Peugeot and Jeep are following in the footsteps of Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq to regain lost ground in mainland China.

A Peugeot concept car on display at the Auto China show in Beijing, April 24, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers hunt for idled plants in Europe as they expand global influence

BYD, the world’s largest electric car maker, says it is in talks with Stellantis about using European marques’ idled assembly facilities.

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A BYD Sealion 7 on display at the Baltic Motor Show in Riga, Latvia, on April 24. Photo: EPA
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xi-Trump summit: Ford-CATL plant shows how global carmakers need China

Collaboration with Chinese suppliers ‘the only way international carmakers can compete with Chinese carmakers’, Morgan Stanley analyst says.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Oil shock fuels BEVs to 9 of top 10 in sales, with China brands overtaking Tesla

Battery EVs take nine of top 10 sales spots amid surging oil prices, giving local brands the edge and pushing Tesla down April charts.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla lures budget-conscious Chinese buyers ahead of state visit by Trump

US President Donald Trump’s entourage for his three-day trip to China includes Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Tim Cook of Apple.

People walk past a Tesla showroom inside a shopping mall in Chongqing, China, on June 23, 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese smart cars set to control 20% of western European market by 2028: JPMorgan

Amid surging demand for electrification and a worldwide energy crisis, domestic carmakers can benefit from the stepped-up ‘go-global’ drive.

MG electric cars before being loaded onto a ship for export at the port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province on April 29. Photo: CN-STR / AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tech and pricing edge behind China’s SUV surge against BMW, Mercedes and Audi

Chinese SUVs storm the premium segment with fresh momentum, giving German marques their toughest test in years.

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Americas and the Caribbean

EVs surge in Bolivia amid fuel shortages, ‘junk gas’ scandal

The number of electric vehicles in Bolivia climbed from 500 to 3,352 in the last five years, and is set to triple again as broad appeal rises.

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