Author: Linda Ma

Zeekr, a new electric vehicle (EV) brand by Geely, is set to unveil its upcoming electric X crossover on April 12th, but the company has been giving glimpses of the car’s features ahead of its official launch. Recently, Zeekr released images showcasing the car’s interior, which boasts of a minimalist and luxurious design. While the company has not disclosed many specifics about the car’s features, it is apparent that the driver will sit behind a two-spoke steering wheel and a freestanding digital instrument cluster. To the right of the steering wheel is a widescreen infotainment system mounted on a slider…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to visit China next week to promote a potential deal between Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD and Ford’s former factory in northeast Brazil. The factory, located in Bahia state, has been inactive since Ford ceased production in Brazil in 2021. BYD signed a letter of intent with the Bahia government in October 2021, indicating their interest in investing $570 million to set up electric vehicle production in the Camaçari industrial park. Since then, negotiations have been ongoing, and BYD executives expressed hope in November that a final agreement could be reached…

Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, the ambitious electric vehicle (EV) arm of Chinese real estate giant Evergrande, is on the brink of disaster. The company’s latest filing reveals a dire situation, with the automaker struggling to deliver on its production targets, facing a liquidity crisis and cutting costs by reducing its workforce headcount. The filing highlights that Evergrande NEV delivered only around 900 units of its flagship Hengchi 5 model since production began in mid-September 2022, a major setback for the company’s EV ambitions. To make matters worse, the automaker has had to cut 931 jobs in a bid to…

BYD, a Chinese car manufacturer, has recently entered the smartphone accessory market with its latest product, the BYD smartwatch. While other companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, and Nio have ventured into different industries, BYD has taken a small but significant step by introducing a smartwatch that can replace car keys. The BYD smartwatch is designed to be a convenient solution for car owners who want to simplify their lives by reducing the number of devices they carry around. Instead of carrying car keys, users can wear the smartwatch, which also functions as a traditional smartwatch with activity tracking, notifications, and Bluetooth…

China’s largest new energy vehicle (NEV) maker, BYD, has reduced shifts at two of its plants in response to weakened consumer demand for electric vehicles (EVs), according to a new report. The Xi’an plant, BYD’s largest manufacturing hub, has asked some workers to work only four days a week, with the plant running two eight-hour shifts a day. The Shenzhen plant, which makes the Han sedan, has also reduced shifts from three shifts a day to two. The reason for the reduction in shifts was not given in the internal memo, but one person familiar with the matter said BYD…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio is ramping up production of its third generation Power Swap Station (PSS), with mass production expected to be achieved in May. The company is bringing the first 10 stations online on March 28, a month earlier than planned. The latest PSS can store 21 batteries, a significant improvement from the previous model which could only store 13 batteries. The first generation PSS, meanwhile, could only hold five batteries at once. While the PSS can store 21 batteries, it can service 408 vehicles in a 24-hour period. This translates to 17 electric cars charged every…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng delivered over 120,000 vehicles in 2022, marking a 23% increase from the previous year. However, despite higher sales, the company reported a net loss of 9.14 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) – nearly double that of the previous year. In its annual report, Xpeng revealed that its sales for the year reached 26.86 billion yuan ($3.67 billion), up 28% from the previous year. However, its gross margin for the year slipped to 11.5%, down one percentage point from 2021. See also: XPeng officially launches G9 electric SUV with range of up to 436 miles The…

Bonnet, the London-based EV charging app with a growing presence across Europe, has launched a public crowdfunding campaign after existing users of the app pledged to invest in the company. Alongside this, Bonnet has also secured £3 million in equity from a range of investors, including GV (the investment arm of Google), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tier Mobility, Wise, Deliveroo, and 20VC. The new funding will enable Bonnet to further expand and enhance its service, with a particular focus on reliability, as well as increasing its coverage across the UK and Europe. Bonnet’s long-term goal is to become the go-to app…

China’s automotive sector is facing a slump, which has resulted in carmakers and dealerships slashing prices to boost sales. This has affected veteran carmakers such as Ford, Volkswagen, and General Motors, who are offering discounts on their vehicles to attract consumers. Even Tesla, which dominates the EV industry in the United States, is facing stiff competition from local Chinese automakers such as BYD. Legacy automakers have initiated efforts to drive demand by adopting pricing strategies such as aggressive price cuts. Ford is offering a discount of approximately $6,000 on its Mustang Mach-E until the end of April, and Volkswagen has…

BYD, the largest Chinese manufacturer of new energy vehicles (NEVs), recently made its brand debut in Uzbekistan, one of the largest automotive markets in Central Asia. During the brand debut event held on March 16, BYD introduced three models to local consumers, including the Han EV, Song Plus DM-i, and Chazor DM-i. As Uzbekistan is transitioning toward vehicle electrification, BYD’s advanced blade battery and DM-i super hybrid technology are expected to meet the demand of local consumers. Furthermore, three BYD stores will open in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, this month, including a flagship store and technology museum, a comprehensive brand experience…

In a bid to address the growing importance of recycling and reprocessing materials in the expanding new energy vehicle (NEV) market, Mercedes-Benz has signed a memorandum of understanding with CATL’s Brunp subsidiary in China. The deal will see Brunp recycle used electric car batteries from Mercedes-Benz and process the materials into cathode materials, which will then be used by CATL in new electric vehicle batteries supplied to Mercedes-Benz. Brunp, which already works with Volvo, BMW, FAW-Volkswagen, and GAC-Toyota, among others, operates 251 battery recycling sites across China. Its parent company CATL is also building two large industrial parks to recycle…

Xpeng, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, is making significant strides in the development of autonomous driving technology with the expansion of its City Navigation Guided Pilot (City NGP) feature. Similar to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, Xpeng’s NGP is equipped with LiDAR sensors that enable the vehicle to detect and avoid obstacles, making the driving experience safer. Starting in Shenzhen, China, Xpeng’s NGP system will be available through an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade for the Xpeng P5 electric sedan. This will be the seventh OTA upgrade for the P5, and Xpeng claims it will provide up to 90% efficiency compared to…

The rise of autonomous driving technology has generated much excitement, but also significant concerns about safety. One key challenge is how to enable self-driving vehicles to handle unfamiliar situations that they have not been trained for. Now, a research team from Tsinghua University has made a breakthrough in autonomous driving, developing a technology that allows vehicles to self-learn while driving, potentially resolving this safety concern. The newly-proposed technology enables continuous performance improvements in cars using the data collected during autonomous driving. Unlike conventional methods, which require lengthy training in various driving scenarios in advance, this approach allows cars to learn…

BYD has launched revamped versions of its flagship sedan and flagship SUV at lower prices compared to their previously available models, as the price war in China’s auto industry intensifies. During an online event on March 16, the company unveiled the 2023 Han EV and 2023 Tang DM-i, both starting at RMB 209,800 ($30,440), which received 8,196 orders on the launch day. The new 2023 Han EV model, which retains the same dimensions as the previous version, is available in five different versions with starting prices ranging from RMB 209,800 to RMB 299,800. The 715 km version is available in…

China’s leading search engine, Baidu, announced on Friday that it had secured a permit to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the Chinese capital, Beijing. The company’s self-driving division, Apollo, will deploy 10 autonomous vehicles in a technology park developed by the Beijing government. Baidu’s latest move marks a significant milestone in its quest to commercialize autonomous driving technology, following the license it obtained in December 2022 to test the service. With the new permit, the company is set to operate driverless robotaxi services in three Chinese cities, including Wuhan and Chongqing. See also: Baidu’s Apollo Go to operate…

Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) giant BYD has officially launched its vehicle offerings in Jordan through a partnership with local dealer Mobility Solutions Auto Trade Co (MSTC). This marks BYD’s first foray into the Middle East market and the company introduced four models during a joint launch event with MSTC on March 9. The models include the BYD Dolphin, Tang EV, Atto 3 and Han EV. Adam Peng, BYD’s sales director for the Middle East region, noted that the launch event was a milestone for the company’s “in-depth integration” into the Middle East market. The Dolphin is a compact car,…

China’s passenger vehicle market experienced a decline in insurance registrations last week, with a mixed performance from major new energy vehicle (NEV) makers. According to automotive industry consultancy ThinkerCar, insurance registrations for all passenger cars in China totaled 308,700 units in the week of March 6 to March 12, down 10.6 percent from the previous week and down 8.86 percent from the same period last month. Insurance registrations for NEVs were 107,800 last week, down 7.29 percent from the previous week and up 8.67 percent from the same period last month. In contrast, insurance registrations for conventional internal combustion engine…

Tesla has been enjoying a surge in sales in China this March, according to newly released insurance registration data. The data showed that a total of 17,032 Teslas were registered in the country between March 6 and March 12, which represents an increase of 28% compared to the previous week’s figures. The Model Y electric SUV is the more popular choice among Chinese consumers, with 11,336 of those registrations being for this model, and the remaining 5,696 going to the Model 3 sedan. This trend of rising Tesla insurance registrations has been ongoing for several weeks. Even during the week…

NIO has no intention of engaging in a price war, despite recent price cuts by many internal combustion engine (ICE) automakers. Pu Yang, NIO’s assistant vice president of sales operations, stated that NIO would not lower its prices, and that the current price cuts were due to cyclical fluctuations in the transition from ICE vehicles to smart EVs. He believes that price wars cannot cross the cyclical fluctuations brought about by technological revolution, and companies must adhere to their brand values. Instead, NIO will focus on continuously investing in infrastructure, keeping prices and configurations stable, and full-stack in-house research and…

Volkswagen and BMW have significantly reduced the prices of their electric vehicles (EVs) in China in an effort to boost sales and reduce inventory. This move follows similar actions taken by other carmakers in the country. FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen, joint ventures of Volkswagen, have lowered the prices of their ID. models by up to 40,000 yuan ($5,796) in China. Meanwhile, the costs of the ID.4 X, ID.6 X, and ID.3 have been slashed by up to 30,000 yuan ($4,350) by SAIC Volkswagen, and customers can reportedly receive additional benefits worth up to 10,000 yuan ($1,449) at dealerships. However, these…