Author: Linda Ma

Changan, the Chinese car manufacturer, is investing 258 million euros in a new production plant for electric and hybrid cars and batteries in Thailand. This is a significant investment for Changan as it marks their first right-hand drive vehicle plant outside of China. The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) confirms that the plant will have an initial production capacity of 100,000 vehicles for sale in Thailand and other ASEAN countries, Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa. See also: Changan new car models will carry AT128 LiDAR from Hesai Technology While the number of countries in which the products from…

Chinese automaker BYD is planning to invest $290 million in building a battery material factory in Chile’s Antofagasta region, according to the Chilean economic development agency CORFO. The plant could produce up to 50,000 tonnes of LFP cathode material annually, and is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2025. The project is estimated to employ 500 people, and BYD has been appointed as a qualified lithium producer by the Chilean government, allowing it access to preferential prices for lithium carbonate quotas. The move comes as Chile’s President Gabriel Boric announced plans to nationalize the country’s lithium industry to…

NIO’s CEO, William Li, recently stated in an interview with CNBC that the company will not engage in a price war with its competitors and will maintain its premium pricing strategy. Li emphasized that NIO’s products and services are worth the price and the company will not compromise on quality or value for its customers. NIO’s decision sets it apart from Tesla, which has lowered its prices in China to the lowest level ever. Instead of lowering prices, NIO plans to expand its customer services, including the expansion of battery swapping and charging stations. NIO’s battery swapping technology allows for…

BYD, a Chinese automaker known for its electric vehicles, has introduced its latest model, the Seagull, as part of its Ocean series. The car, which was launched on the first day of the Shanghai Auto Show on April 18, is available for pre-sale in three versions, with prices starting at RMB 78,800 ($11,460). The Seagull is an A0-class electric vehicle powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 55 kW and peak torque of 135 Nm, with an acceleration of 0-50 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The car is available in two range versions, with the lower-priced…

Volkswagen has surprised the automotive world by unveiling a brand-new electric vehicle (EV) at the Shanghai Auto Show – the ID.Next. This EV has been confirmed to be manufactured by a joint venture between Volkswagen and SAIC, and will likely be available only in China. The ID.Next appears to be smaller than Volkswagen’s recently unveiled flagship EV, the ID.7. However, Volkswagen has caused some confusion by referring to both the ID.7 and the ID.Next as electric sedans, even though the ID.7 is not strictly a sedan. It is possible that the Chinese version of the ID.7, called the ID.7 Vizzion,…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio is planning to launch a new brand of entry-level EVs for the mass market, specifically targeted at the European market. The project is being developed through two separate initiatives – Alps and Firefly, with both working titles yet to be finalized. Project Firefly will be designed to develop a new brand of entry-level EVs with a target price of around £23,500, which is expected to compete against models like the upcoming Volkswagen ID 2. Nio CEO William Li stated that there is a higher demand for smaller vehicles in Europe than in China. See…

XPeng has unveiled its latest model, the G6, at the Shanghai Auto Show. This is XPeng’s first model based on its new Smart Electric Platform Architecture 2.0 (SEPA 2.0). The company claims that the G6 is the ultimate form of vehicle before full self-driving is achieved, equipped with XNGP intelligent assisted driving that provides powerful environmental awareness and can generate high precision maps in real-time. The G6 is based on an 800 V high-voltage platform, and XPeng claims it can get 300 kilometers of range in as little as 10 minutes of charge. The company’s other 800 V-based model is…

Chinese electric vehicle startup Zeekr has big plans for the future. At the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, the company officially unveiled its global strategy, with a particular focus on establishing a presence in Western Europe and becoming a leading brand in the electric vehicle market. To achieve this goal, Zeekr’s Vice President responsible for European operations, Spiros Fotinos, presented the company’s three pillars of their European strategy: excellent products, one-stop service, and direct sales models. Under this direct sales model, Zeekr will own all of its sales and delivery centers, avoiding third-party dealers. This strategy has proven successful in China,…

BYD, a leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, unveiled its latest creation, the Song L concept, at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 18. The all-electric fastback SUV is categorized as a high-end B-class EV and is built on the company’s e-platform 3.0. It comes equipped with CTB (cell-to-body) battery packs and features the LFP Blade battery. During the unveiling, BYD announced that the premium Song L model would launch later in 2023 and aims to compete with the Tesla Model Y. The car is expected to be priced at around 300,000 yuan (43,600 USD), slightly higher than the Model Y’s…

BYD is set to unveil a new hybrid sedan in their Ocean series during the Shanghai auto show. The official announcement of the model’s name, Destroyer 07, was made via Weibo post today, one day before the start of the auto show. The show will run from April 18 to 27, with media days on April 18 and 19, professional visitors’ days on April 20 and 21, and open to the general public from April 22 to 27. BYD’s booth, located in Hall 7.1, will showcase their range of passenger cars, including the Dynasty and Ocean series. The Dynasty series…

Toyota has officially launched its first all-electric sedan, the bZ3, in China. The midsize sedan is part of Toyota’s Beyond Zero (bZ) series and is based on the e-TNGA platform. The car is equipped with a single rear-mounted electric motor, available in two sizes, 135 kW and 180 kW, with a peak torque of 303 Nm, enabling it to accelerate from 0 to 50 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. The car is available in two range versions with battery packs of 49.9 kWh and 65.3 kWh respectively, with CLTC ranges of 517 km and 616 km. Toyota’s joint venture in…

NIO and Sinopec Group celebrated the second anniversary of their strategic partnership on April 15th, 2023. The partnership has resulted in the construction of over 100 battery swap stations across China, with an average of one station being completed every three days. This partnership has been a significant milestone in the development of China’s smart electric vehicle industry and has contributed to the country’s efforts to reach carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. NIO announced that the first two third-generation battery swap stations built by the two companies were put into operation on the partnership’s second anniversary. This announcement came as…

Haomo.ai, a Chinese startup backed by Great Wall Motors, announced the launch of its DriveGPT technology on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in the global autonomous driving industry. Unlike other autonomous driving solutions, DriveGPT integrates Reinforced Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) technology, inspired by the popular ChatGPT. By incorporating data about situations in which human drivers take control, DriveGPT is designed to optimize the decision-making ability of autonomous vehicles on the road in real-time. The model has been trained with data from over 40 million kilometers of driving, and CEO Gu Weihao stated that it can enable vehicles to operate…

Yangwang Auto, a sub-brand of BYD, has been making waves in the automotive industry with its latest release, the Yangwang U8. This electric off-road SUV has been generating excitement and anticipation among car enthusiasts and industry experts alike. The U8 will make its official debut at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. In preparation for the event, Yangwang Auto has released official interior images of the U8, giving us a glimpse of what we can expect from this new SUV. The U8 is a premium off-road SUV that aims to compete with some of the best electric vehicles on the market,…

Eşarj, the first electric vehicle charging provider in Turkey, is aiming to build 1,000 stations across the country by the end of 2023. The company, which is majority-owned by Enerjisa Energy, plans to invest over 90% of its resources into fast-charging stations, with at least one DC station in each of Turkey’s 81 provinces by the end of this year. Enerjisa Energy, which was founded in 1996, has the goal of providing the best service in every field of the electric industry and creating innovative solutions. In 2018, the company purchased Eşarj and has since expanded its vehicle charging station…

BYD has expanded its range of discounted models by offering discounts on two additional models, the Yuan Plus and Dolphin. Customers who purchase either of these models between April 14 and April 30 can enjoy a discount of RMB 5,800 ($846). In addition to the discount, both models are also eligible for other benefits, such as a 2-year zero-interest loan, up to two years of free on-board internet traffic, and a trade-in subsidy. Customers who purchase the Yuan Plus or Dolphin at the time of trade-in will receive a RMB 1,000 subsidy and RMB 2,000 subsidy, respectively. Currently, the BYD…

BYD’s luxury brand Yangwang has announced that it will begin pre-sales of its first model, the Yangwang U8, at the Shanghai auto show on April 18. The U8 is a rugged off-road SUV that measures over 5 meters long and 2 meters wide. Capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4 seconds, the U8 will be priced at approximately $146,000. The Yangwang U8 is equipped with intelligent extrication and emergency avoidance capabilities, ensuring safety and reliability in complex road conditions. The model is also equipped with BYD’s proprietary e⁴ technology, a mass-produced four-motor independent drive technology platform.…

Buick, the luxury brand of General Motors, has officially entered the Ultium era with the launch of its electric crossover, the Electra E5, in China. Originally introduced last year, the model boasts a sleek and “pure” design inspired by the Electra-X concept. Buyers will appreciate the flush-mounted door handles, Buick’s controversial new face, and the new tri-shield emblem along with 18- or 20-inch wheels. The Electra E5 falls between the Envision and Enclave models in terms of size, measuring 192.6 inches (4,892 mm) long, 75 inches (1,905 mm) wide, and 65.2 inches (1,655 mm) tall with a wheelbase of 116.3…

BYD is looking to expand its footprint in the European market with the introduction of its latest electric vehicle (EV), the Dolphin hatchback. With a starting price of around $33,000, the Dolphin hatchback is set to become BYD’s most affordable EV offering in Europe and has the potential to become the automaker’s most popular model in the region. BYD announced its plans to expand its EV lineup in Europe last summer, with the launch of three passenger EVs – the Han sedan, the Atto-3 crossover, and the Tang SUV. Since then, the automaker has launched the Seal midsize sedan, and…

BYD has unveiled its latest electric supercar, the YangWang U9, equipped with a new smart hydraulic suspension system called Yunnian or DiSus in English. The new system is an amalgamation of three intelligent subsystems – DiSus-A, DiSus-C, and DiSus-P – that work together to provide an unparalleled driving experience. The YangWang U9’s DiSus system has the capability to rise up to 150mm and adjust the firmness in milliseconds by processing thousands of signals per second. However, it is the hydraulic part of the system that takes the cake. It is the world’s first intelligent hydraulic suspension system, which means it…