Author: Linda Ma

Chinese electric vehicle maker WM Motor said on Friday it has secured a new investor and will restart production after financial troubles pushed it into restructuring last year. Shenzhen Xiangfei Automobile Sales Co has become the restructuring investor and shareholder of WM Motor’s four operating entities, taking control of the businesses, according to an announcement on the company’s official social media accounts. Xiangfei said it is “fully committed to rapidly resuming mass production” of WM Motor’s EX5 and E5 models at its Wenzhou base in Zhejiang province. The restructured company targets production of 10,000 to 20,000 units of the two…

Shangjie, the new electric vehicle brand co-developed by Huawei and SAIC Motor, said its first model, the H5 SUV, has secured over 80,000 pre-orders since pre-sales began on August 25, signaling strong market interest ahead of its official launch on September 23. The brand announced the figures on Weibo, highlighting the SUV’s rapid uptake, which included more than 25,000 pre-orders within the first hour of pre-sales. Positioned as a mid-size SUV, the Shangjie H5 measures 4,780 mm in length, 1,910 mm in width, and 1,664 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,840 mm. It offers both Extended Range Electric…

CATL has introduced its new Shenxing Pro battery in Europe, unveiling the product ahead of the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich as it seeks to accelerate its international expansion. The Shenxing Pro is the first battery to feature CATL’s latest NP 3.0 (No Propagation 3.0) safety technology, which is based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. CATL said the innovation reflects seven years of research and allows the battery to “sustain power supply for over an hour after thermal runaway,” enabling drivers to safely move vehicles away from hazardous areas. According to the company, the design prevents visible flames…

China’s BYD has launched its Seal 6 DM-i hybrid sedan and Seal 6 DM-i Touring wagon in Europe, further expanding its presence in the region’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market. The two models, known in China as the Seal 06 DM-i, were introduced to European buyers on Sept. 2, BYD said on Friday. The move follows earlier rollouts of the Seal U DM-i, marketed in China as the Song Plus DM-i, as well as the Seal 05 DM-i sedan in Poland and Slovakia in June. “The success of the Seal U DM-i demonstrates that hybrid technology allows users to enjoy…

Chinese automaker Geely Auto’s sub-brand Geely Galaxy announced that it will launch its new M9 hybrid SUV on September 17 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the company’s headquarters. The vehicle is expected to compete aggressively in China’s large hybrid SUV segment. The M9, which made its global debut in Milan in May, is built on Geely’s Electric Architecture (GEA) and uses the next-generation Leishen EM Super Hybrid system. Geely Galaxy highlighted the vehicle’s AI capabilities on social media, stating, “AI makes life better!” Pre-sales for the six-seat SUV began in China on August 23, with six variants priced from RMB 193,800 ($27,130)…

BYD’s ultra-luxury sub-brand Yangwang will officially launch the U8L on September 12, an extended-wheelbase version of its U8 off-road SUV, as the company intensifies its push into China’s luxury electric vehicle market. The U8L, scheduled for unveiling at 7:30 pm Beijing time, measures 5,400 mm in length, 2,049 mm in width, and 1,921 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,250 mm, extending the dimensions of the standard U8. The vehicle’s six-seat layout is powered by four electric motors producing over 1,000 horsepower and is built on BYD’s e4 platform. To highlight its premium positioning, the SUV will feature a…

Fang Cheng Bao, a sub-brand of Chinese automaker BYD, will launch its new Tai 7 hybrid SUV on September 9, according to local media outlet Auto Home. The model will be the second in the brand’s Tai series and its first hybrid SUV built on a unibody frame. The Tai 7 is expected to be priced between RMB 250,000 ($34,990) and RMB 300,000, overlapping with Fang Cheng Bao’s Bao 5 off-road SUV, which sells for RMB 239,800 to RMB 329,800. The company began production of the Tai 7 on August 11, and display models have already been delivered to over…

WeRide has started 24-hour fully driverless operations of its GXR Robotaxi in Huangpu District, Guangzhou. The service allows passengers to book rides anywhere within the designated service area using the WeRide Go app. The launch follows 11 months of road testing, regulatory approval, and model certification. The company’s GXR vehicle features Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities, a high-performance computing platform, and sensors designed to operate in varying weather and lighting conditions. Redundancy systems for steering, braking, and computing are included to enhance operational safety. https://twitter.com/WeRide_ai/status/1963527467358130593 The GXR is designed to carry up to five passengers and includes features such as…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio has standardized its 100‑kWh long-range battery pack across all models sold in China, effectively lowering vehicle prices by up to 38,000 yuan ($13,000), the company said on Monday. The change affects Nio’s ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6, EC6, ET7, and EC7 models, which previously came with 75‑kWh batteries. Starting prices for vehicles equipped with the 100‑kWh pack remain the same as the prior 75‑kWh pricing, but the adjustment reflects an effective reduction of up to 38,000 yuan. The ET5 and ET5 Touring now start at 298,000 yuan, down from 336,000 yuan, while other models see reductions…

Tesla has started nationwide deliveries of the Model Y L in China, a six-seat variant of its best-selling SUV launched in late August, the company said on Monday. “The first nationwide deliveries of the Model Y L have officially begun,” Tesla announced on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Customers placing new orders are expected to receive delivery in October, according to Tesla’s China website. Priced from 339,000 yuan ($47,460), the Model Y L sits alongside the existing five-seat rear-wheel-drive and long-range all-wheel-drive versions, which are priced at 263,500 yuan and 313,500 yuan respectively. Current delivery times for the five-seat variants…

Xiaomi’s electric vehicle unit said on Monday it delivered more than 30,000 units in August, marking the second consecutive month its sales surpassed that threshold. The company, which disclosed the update on its official Weibo account without providing specific figures, had previously reported July deliveries also exceeded 30,000 units. Data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed July deliveries reached 30,452, a 19.6% increase from June’s 25,459. Xiaomi launched its first electric sedan, the SU7, in March 2024 as a rival to Tesla’s Model 3. It has since expanded its line-up with the SU7 Ultra, a performance version of…

BYD has reduced prices on select variants of its Qin L EV sedan and introduced a new model equipped with advanced body control technology as competition intensifies in China’s electric vehicle market. The company said at the Chengdu auto show that two existing Qin L EV variants will each be discounted by RMB 10,000 ($1,400) until September 30, lowering their starting prices to RMB 109,800 and RMB 119,800. The move comes alongside the launch of a new version of the sedan fitted with BYD’s DiSus-C body control system, priced at RMB 139,800 before applying the same temporary discount. The Qin…

Li Auto has reached a significant milestone in the development of its in-house autonomous driving chip, the M100, moving closer to mass production as Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers increasingly focus on proprietary technology, according to LatePost reports. The M100 chip completed prototype production in the first quarter of 2025 and subsequently passed functional and performance testing within two weeks. The chip has already been installed in small batches on prototype vehicles for road testing. The M100 is reported to provide computing power equivalent to two Nvidia Thor-U chips for tasks involving large language models and approximately three Thor-U chips…

China has reinforced its lead in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, reaching 16.7 million charging points by the end of July, a 53% increase from a year earlier, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Tuesday. Wang Hongzhi, director of the NEA, said the country has achieved a ratio of two charging piles for every five vehicles. The figure represents a tenfold expansion since 2020. In the first seven months of 2025, 3.88 million new charging units were added, a 93.2% year-on-year rise, with private charging facilities growing 113.6% to 3.26 million and public facilities up 28.9% to 623,000. The…

China’s BYD will unveil the updated Seal 07 DM-i hybrid sedan this week, featuring a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor aimed at strengthening its advanced driver-assistance capabilities. The company said on social media platform Weibo that the 2026 model-year version of the Seal 07 DM-i will debut on August 29, the opening day of the Chengdu auto show. Official images show the LiDAR system mounted on the roof, a feature not present in the earlier model. According to BYD, “the 2026 Seal 07 DM-i will incorporate roof-mounted LiDAR to enhance safety and intelligent driving performance.” The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) will…

Tesla’s extended wheelbase Model Y L has sold out its September 2025 allocation in China, with new orders now scheduled for delivery in October, according to the company’s local website. The six-seat variant of Tesla’s best-selling crossover was launched earlier this month, with executives stating that the first batch of deliveries would begin in September. “Tesla cars are fun to drive alone, whether you have children or how many children, this car can meet all your needs. We will deliver in September and wait for you to get in the car,” Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao wrote on Weibo.…

Shares of Nio listed in Hong Kong continued to climb, rising more than 13% to HK$51.75, the highest level since October 2024, as investors responded positively to the launch of the company’s third-generation ES8 sport utility vehicle. The stock has gained about 33% over three sessions since the new ES8 debuted on August 21, and is up nearly 90% since July, when Nio’s sub-brand Onvo introduced its flagship L90 SUV. The new ES8, which entered pre-sales on August 21, comes with a standard 100-kWh battery pack and a starting price of RMB 416,800 ($58,190). That represents a reduction of RMB…

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released subsidy data for the country’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sector, showing that about 1.65 billion yuan (€198 million) was paid to automakers between 2016 and 2020, with state-owned BAIC’s electric unit emerging as the largest recipient. According to the figures, Beijing Electric Vehicle (BJEV), part of BAIC and a shareholder in Mercedes-Benz, received 556 million yuan (€67 million) during the period. Despite that, BJEV’s presence in Europe remains limited, with only its Arcfox brand currently available in Spain. By comparison, BYD – China’s largest private carmaker – received just 15.74…

China’s state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corp said on Friday it would privatise its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, Dongfeng Motor Group, in a deal valued at HK$55.13 billion ($7.06 billion), while preparing to list its electric vehicle brand Voyah separately. Dongfeng will pay HK$6.68 per share, representing an 11.9% premium to the unit’s last close on August 8 before trading was suspended. The parent company, which currently holds a 13.16% stake in the listed entity, has applied for the resumption of trading on the Hong Kong exchange, according to LSEG data. The decision comes as Chinese automakers face a prolonged price war that…

Nio has launched its third-generation ES8 sport-utility vehicle at a lower price point, with founder and chief executive William Li underscoring that survival remains the company’s top priority as competition in China’s electric vehicle sector intensifies. The new ES8 entered pre-sales this week starting at RMB 416,800 ($58,030) with a 100-kWh battery pack, representing a 25% reduction from the RMB 556,000 starting price of its predecessor. Under the company’s battery-as-a-service (BaaS) plan, the SUV begins at RMB 308,800, compared with RMB 428,000 for the previous model. Nio said the model continues to generate a gross margin despite the lower pricing,…