Author: Linda Ma

After a difficult December, Tesla China seems more determined than ever to maintain its position in the country’s electric vehicle market. This was demonstrated recently when Tesla China implemented significant price cuts for the Model 3 and Model Y. These adjustments were so significant that the Model 3 is now the cheapest it has ever been in China. Tesla currently manufactures the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover at its primary vehicle export hub, Gigafactory Shanghai. The Model 3 is offered in two versions in China: the base rear-wheel drive version and the Dual Motor Performance. The Model…

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla China saw a significant decrease in its sales of China-made vehicles in December. The company sold 55,796 wholesale vehicles in the month, a drop of 44.37% from November’s figure of 100,291 and a decrease of 21.24% compared to the 70,847 vehicles sold in the same month the previous year. It is currently unclear how many of these wholesale sales were deliveries within China and how many were exports from Tesla’s Shanghai plant. In the latest quarter, Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, which produces both the Model 3 sedan and the…

NIO is recalling a total of 997 ET5 electric sedans due to a potential safety hazard in the event of a serious frontal collision. The vehicles, which were manufactured between September 7, 2022, and October 10, 2022, may have a front cabin shock tower that crushes the high-voltage wire harness after being deformed by the impact, which in extreme cases may cause the wire harness to break and short circuit with the body. To fix this issue, NIO will retrofit the high-voltage wire harness with a high-strength insulating protective cover for the recalled vehicles at no cost to the owner.…

BYD surprised everyone when they launched the electric supercar YangWang U9 on January 5th. It was originally thought that BYD would only be launching the YangWang R1 hardcore SUV at the event, which has now been renamed to YangWang U8. This revelation has shown that YangWang is not only a high-end SUV brand, but also BYD’s premium EV brand in general. The YangWang U9 electric supercar, equipped with BYD’s Yisifang power system, was unveiled at an event where BYD President Wang Chuanfu announced that the YangWang brand would be the first to showcase the company’s leading technologies. The U9 can…

In November, exports of electric vehicles from China to Europe more than doubled, setting a new monthly record. Interestingly, the majority of these exports were not from Chinese automakers but from European companies that have production facilities in China. This comes as European automakers, including Volkswagen and BMW, are looking to manufacture parts and vehicles in China due to limited capacity in their home countries. According to data from China’s customs authority, car manufacturers in China – both domestic and foreign – exported $3.2 billion worth of EVs in November, a 165% increase from the previous year. This marks the…

Tesla has announced that the Model S sedan and Model X SUV will be available in China with their Plaid powertrains in the first half of 2023. This news has been eagerly anticipated by customers, as the Model S Plaid was first released in the US in June 2021. Traditionally, Tesla has first released its products in the US before moving on to the rest of North America and then other countries. However, the timeline for international releases can vary. CEO Elon Musk had previously estimated that the Model S Plaid would be available in China by March 2022, but…

The Velimotor VMX 08 is an electric off-road two-wheeler from China that is positioned between a mountain bike and an electric enduro, similar to the Light Bee from Sur-Ron. It has a lightweight design, with the frame, rear swing arm, body panels, and handlebars made from carbon fiber laminate. Velimotor claims that the VMX 08 weighs less than 50 kilograms, with an exact weight of 47.5 kilograms. This weight is relatively light for an electric motorbike, but would be considered bulky for a bicycle or pedelec. The Velimotor VMX 08 is classified as a light motorcycle, with an electric motor…

The Lotus Eletre SUV will soon be available in China with the option to add e-mirrors for an additional cost of CNY 16,000. This option is only available to buyers who have already placed an order for the vehicle. The Eletre is scheduled to be shipped to customers starting on July 1, 2023, which coincides with the date when Chinese laws will permit vehicles with electronic mirrors on the roads. As a majority-owned subsidiary of Geely, Lotus is proud to be among the first to offer e-mirrors in China with the Eletre. The Eletre SUV will be equipped with electronic…

BYD’s new high-end sub-brand, Yangwang, will unveil its first vehicle, the Yangwang R1 off-road SUV, on January 5th at 3:00 PM Beijing Time in China. The SUV is expected to have a price tag of over 144,900 USD, or more than 1 million RMB. Yangwang is expected to produce vehicles within the price range of 800,000 to 1.5 million RMB (110,280 to 206,763 USD), according to BYD. The Yangwang R1 SUV will feature both electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain options, with a maximum output of 650 horsepower. All versions of the vehicle will have four-wheel drive capabilities. The top versions…

Electric vehicle manufacturer Nio will begin installing its Power Swap Stations (PSS) in the UK in 2023, , announced Eleanor Sand, Nio’s Network Development Lead, on January 3. The company currently operates over 1,300 PSS in China, with plans to increase that number to 1,700 by the end of the year. “We are actively seeking sites throughout all cities in the UK to host our Power Swap Stations, so if you are a landowner or CPO interested in learning more, please do get in touch,” Sand posted on Linkedin. In Europe, Nio has 10 PSS in operation and has announced…

Nvidia has signed a new partnership with Foxconn last Tuesday (03/01), the world’s largest technology maker, to produce Nvidia Drive Orin processors for use in electric and autonomous vehicles. Foxconn will also be using Nvidia Drive Orin hardware and the Drive Hyperion sensor suite in its future electric vehicle lineup. Nvidia Drive Orin SoC (system-on-a-chip) delivers 254 TOPS (trillion operations per second) and is the central computer for intelligent vehicles. It is the ideal solution to support autonomous driving capabilities, confident vision, digital clusters and AI cockpits. Orin’s Drive scalable product suite enables developers to build, scale, and leverage a…

Tom Zhu, CEO of the Greater China region for Tesla and the company’s global vice president, has reportedly taken on responsibilities for sales, service, and deliveries in North America, according to Electrek. Zhu’s title remains vice president in charge of the Asia/Pacific region, but he has been added to the organization chart for North American sales, service, and delivery. Zhu, who has been with Tesla since 2014, was previously in charge of the construction and operations of Gigafactory Shanghai and has played a key role in expanding the company’s presence in China, including building the Supercharger network and overseeing Asia…