TOPIC

Automotive industry

Automotive industry
News about the global automotive industry with a focus on developments that matter most for the China market.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government consulted domestic and foreign business leaders before finalising the tariff measure. Photo: EPA
China-Latin America relations

Mexico slaps tariffs of up to 50% on Chinese goods as US trade pact review looms

Beijing criticises the duties as damaging to its interests, as Mexico defends them as vital to support domestic producers.

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China-EU relations

Brussels ramps up China de-risking while France and Germany pull further apart

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Americas and the Caribbean

Mexico lawmakers approve tariff increase on Chinese and other Asian imports

China-EU relations

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Labourers work on an assembly line at a factory in Chongqing, China, in May. Beijing has pressed German carmakers to help resolve disputes over the European Union’s anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: EPA-EFE
China-EU relations

‘A big opportunity’: why Spain’s new electric car plan hands an opening to China

Madrid’s ambitious strategy may hinge on attracting more Chinese investment, giving China’s firms greater leverage, analysts say.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD founder bets on new tech to win back customers as sales decelerate

Company is pinning its hopes on a 12,000-strong R&D team to come up with technological breakthroughs.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s China plant sees shipment surge ahead of subsidy expiry

However, the rebound may not be sufficient to help the company reclaim lost ground in China, an analyst says.

A Tesla logo seen on a Model 3 electric car. Photo: AFP
China manufacturing

Germany’s China playbook: if you can’t beat them, partner up

More than half of surveyed German firms plan deeper ties with local partners in China to match the rapid innovation cycles of domestic competitors, the German Chamber of Commerce has found.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV makers post stellar sales before incentives are phased out next year

Leapmotor leads the pack with record sales for a seventh month in a row, while Voyah and Zeekr put on a strong performance.

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Robotics

Changan Auto becomes latest Chinese carmaker to join humanoid robot bandwagon

State-owned carmaker invests US$31.8 million to take a 50 per cent stake in Changan Tianshu Intelligent Robotics Technology.

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Xpeng’s next-generation Iron humanoid robot interacts with the media during a tour of the company’s headquarters in Guangzhou last month. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

China EV profit woes fuel market anxiety over challenging 2026

Investors quickly turn against EV makers as earnings fall short, and next year looks even more difficult, analysts say.

Xpeng Mona M03 electric vehicles are displayed outside the venue of a launch event in Beijing on August 27, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers step on gas abroad amid weakening mainland sales

A growing export drive by Chinese EV makers aims to soak up overcapacity and secure better profits as incentives fade.

Nexperia

China, EU shift Nexperia strategy: let the companies work it out

Wang Wentao shifts focus to the boardroom but warns the Dutch government must still scrap the executive order and court ruling fuelling the crisis.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla affirms confidence in Chinese partners, repudiates supplier ban

American EV maker says rigorous standards – not geographic origins – guide its vendor choices.

Tesla has offered a vote of confidence to the more than 400 Chinese manufacturers that supply car components to Tesla’s Shanghai factory. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen revs up designed-in-China approach to catch up in EV market

Carmaker says mainland operations can now design and validate new models without approvals from Germany, reducing development time and cost.

An aerial view of Volkswagen Group China Technology Company in Hefei, in eastern China’s Anhui province. Photo: Handout
Science

Chinese team cuts laser weapon, EV part production time from 1 hour to 1 second

High-intensity heating and cooling method speeds up creation of sought-after electrical component.

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CATL

Co-founder of EV battery giant CATL pockets US$239 million from 1% stake sale

Huang Shilin retains more than 9 per cent of CATL, whose shares have skyrocketed in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Xiaomi reaffirms safety focus after raising 2025 sales target to 400,000 units

Safety is a foundation and a priority, founder and CEO Lei Jun says after Xiaomi’s 500,000th EV rolls off Beijing assembly line.

Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra EVs are displayed at the Auto Shanghai exhibition in April 2025. Photo: Reuters
Made in China 2025

Chinese EV makers accelerate robotics drive for ‘game-changing’ edge over US

Xpeng, Cherry and others expand beyond cars, with humanoid robot Iron winning praise from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Xiaomi

China’s Xiaomi posts first profit from EV, AI units as quarterly earnings surge

Beijing-based company sells nearly 109,000 electric vehicles in three months, underscoring pivot from smartphones.

China-Germany relations

Germany courts China as rare earths stoke economic woes

Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil sought assurances on rare earth supplies from China in a bid to ease one of the challenges weighing down Germany’s sluggish economy.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (center left) and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng (center right). Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Geely’s third-quarter revenue and profit soar on surging EV sales on mainland

Carmaker posts a 27 per cent jump in revenue to 89 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion) and a 59 per cent increase in net profit to 3.8 billion yuan.

Geely’s EV sales jumped 98 per cent year on year in the first 10 months of the year, faster than most mainland rivals. Photo: Xinhua
Semiconductors

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

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Semiconductors

Nexperia China slams chipmaker’s head office as Sino-Dutch envoys set for talks

In a letter, Nexperia China accuses the Dutch head office of ‘malicious sabotage’ and ‘shirking responsibilities’.

Artificial intelligence

Tesla, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz win China’s approval to deploy AI chatbots in cars

China has approved the first foreign carmakers to roll out in-vehicle AI assistants, opening the door for wider adoption.

Domestic brands have been rushing to register their own AI services to gain a competitive edge over foreign brands. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s car industry preps for next-level self-driving: Hesai

Use of advanced hardware will pick up next year, with some carmakers already adopting it to ‘pre-empt rivals’, CFO says.

People pass the Hesai Group booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 9, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen bets on EV developed with Xpeng to regain ground in China

The ID Unyx 08 has received government approval to begin production and is expected to enter the market in 2026.

China-EU relations

Nexperia chips have begun flowing to Europe again, auto suppliers say

Beijing has followed through on promises to ease export restrictions, but a final deal to decide the chip firm’s fate has yet to be agreed.

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