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Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A humanoid robot seen at an expo in China’s northern city of Tianjin. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

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.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla plans cheaper model to put brakes on China sales slide

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla pins hope on refreshed Model Y to revive faltering sales in China

Electric & new energy vehicles

Exclusive | Hesai eyes Europe’s smart EVs for lidar sales after Mercedes-Benz deal

Hesai’s 2025 profit may jump to between 200 million yuan and 350 million yuan, from 14 million yuan last year, said its chief financial officer Andrew Fan.

Hesai’s lidar. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

1.2 million EVs were sold worldwide last month, mostly in China

About three-quarters of the 1.2 million EVs and hybrids sold worldwide in February were delivered in China, according to Rho Motion.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng to test autonomous driving software in Hong Kong to support go-global push

He Xiaopeng says tests of company’s Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot would be conducted in Hong Kong soon.

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United States

Maserati sets new self-driving car speed record as technology advances

A driverless Maserati MC20 clocked 318km/h in Florida recently. The record comes as self-drive technology looks to be on the cusp of a leap.

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A driverless Maserati MC20 attempts sets a new world speed record at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. After years of slow progress in autonomous driving technology, advances are being made. Photo: Maserati
Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely to make its AI-powered pilot system available across all brands

Geely says AI-powered pilot system would be added to all of its brands, including Galaxy, Zeekr and Lynk.

Jeep

Leading carmaker unveils hands-free driving, good for emailing and more

Maker of Jeep, Fiat, Dodge, Peugeot and other marques builds autonomous driving technology to let drivers watch movies, email, take a break.

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Xpeng

Xpeng to double global presence to 60 markets in 2025, CEO says

The expansion in Thailand, where only one Xpeng model, the G6, is currently available, is part of its ‘go-global 2.0 strategy’.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng, drives a right-hand version of the X9 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Saturday. Photo: Coco Feng
Electric & new energy vehicles

JPMorgan boosts BYD share price target by 60% on strong growth projections

The US investment bank sees BYD’s Hong Kong and Shenzhen share prices at HK$600 and 560 yuan, respectively, by June 2026.

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JPMorgan is extremely bullish on the outlook of BYD’s shares in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Why foreign carmakers have little room to manoeuvre in China

The share of foreign carmakers on the mainland could shrink to as low as 32 per cent this year from 35 per cent in 2024, Natixis says.

China technology

Opinion | In tech war, China is gunning for mass adoption over premium innovation

From artificial intelligence and biotech to autonomous driving, China is disrupting the traditional high-cost model of proprietary innovation.

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Video gaming

CreateAI, once a self-driving star known as TuSimple, cuts 100 people

Lay-offs come just two months after the troubled company renamed itself CreateAI and pivoted to producing video games and films.

CreateAI’s locked office in Guangzhou. Photo: Coco Feng
China Conference: Southeast Asia

Are fragmented regulations holding back Southeast Asia’s EV ambitions?

The head of Chinese EV maker Xpeng says a lack of unified legal frameworks around tech like autonomous driving could discourage investment.

Brian Gu, vice chairman and president of Xpeng, during a panel discussion at SCMP’s China Conference: Southeast Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on February 17. Photo: Nora Tam
Electric & new energy vehicles

How DeepSeek’s AI has become a must-have feature in Chinese smart EVs

Some two dozen carmakers, including BYD and Leapmotor, have unveiled plans to equip their models with AI developed by DeepSeek.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Zeekr joins China’s autonomous-driving race, to unveil tech at Shanghai car show

New York-listed Zeekr, which finalised a merger with Lynk on Friday, will reveal its L3 self-driving system in April.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD’s free tech will spur sales, popularise smart driving: analysts

BYD founder and Chairman Wang Chuanfu says the move marks ‘a new era when all customers can access smart driving’.

BYD founder and Chairman Wang Chuanfu. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD to add autopilot system to lure buyers amid China’s EV price war

At least 21 EV models will be fitted with the system, bringing down the entry cost for EVs with autonomous driving capabilities.

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SCMP Highlights

Xiaomi’s HK$1 trillion value, self-driving features in new cars: 5 EV reads

From Xiaomi’s market value surpassing HK$1 trillion to self-driving features in new Chinese cars, here are five EV stories you may have missed.

Electric & new energy vehicles

15 million new Chinese EVs to have self-driving features this year

Even models priced below 100,000 yuan (US$13,914) will have basic autonomous-driving features, according an industry body.

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An electric vehicle from Xpeng drives itself under the company’s X NGP (Xpeng navigation guided pilot) advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Photo: Xpeng
Singapore

Self-driving buses to hit Singapore’s roads in 2026 in landmark trial

During the pilot project’s initial stage, the buses will operate with a driver on board as ‘safety operators’.

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A public bus passes a bridge in Clarke Quay in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. Photo: SCMP
Artificial intelligence

China ahead of US in some areas of autonomous driving, robotics, executives say

Pony.ai vice-president says China’s agile policies allow fast proof of concept, as well as failure and retry, which facilitates quick iterations.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Opinion | US-China tech war’s next front will be autonomous vehicles

Autonomous driving is not just the next frontier; it is a strategic arena where AI, semiconductor capabilities and geopolitics converge.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s WeRide starts third European self-driving trial in Switzerland

Company is stepping up efforts in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Japan and South Korea, CEO Tony Han says.

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WeRide-powered autonomous vehicles have found use at Zurich airport and the French Open. Photo: Weibo/ Xauto报告
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EVs to see self-driving ‘democratisation’ in 2025, UBS analyst says

China has rapidly progressed from a market for carmakers into an ‘innovative hub’ for technologies such as electrification and intelligence.

A man rides his bike opposite a self-driving taxi in the Daxing district in Beijing, China, September 2, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China tech war

Chinese exhibitors are back at CES 2025 despite US tech tensions

While Chinese companies comprise over a quarter of registered exhibitors, many tech giants are notably absent.

Future of transport

Chinese autonomous-driving tech firm Pony.ai eyes robotaxi services in Hong Kong

Pony.ai is seeking to initially provide ‘robotaxi commuting services’ for Hong Kong International Airport staff.

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