Author: Linda Ma

Octopus Electric Vehicles, a UK-based business specializing in electric vehicles (EVs) from the Octopus Energy Group, has agreed to purchase 5,000 new EVs from BYD, a Chinese manufacturer, for its clientele over the next three years. The initial order will comprise the BYD ATTO 3, a fully electric sport utility vehicle that will make its debut in the United Kingdom in March. The BYD ATTO 3 boasts an impressive 260-mile range, making it a formidable competitor in the EV market. This is the latest addition to Octopus EV’s wide range of electric vehicles, which now includes more than 85 different…

BYD is joining the price-cutting competition initiated by Tesla earlier this year. The automaker is offering significant discounts on its two most popular models – BYD Song Plus and BYD Seal – to attract customers before the end of March. According to the promotion, customers who place an order for a brand new BYD Song Plus will receive a discount of RMB 6,800 ($980), while those ordering a brand new BYD Seal will enjoy an even bigger discount of RMB 8,800 ($1,265). However, the offer is only valid for a limited time. See also: Nio Joins the Price Wars: Discounts…

After successfully penetrating the UK’s commercial vehicle market a decade ago, BYD is now bringing its passenger cars to the European country. The Chinese automaker has announced that the BYD Atto 3, its first-ever passenger car in the UK, is now on sale as of March 8. With a starting price of £36,490 ($43,230), the Atto 3 will be delivered locally beginning March 15. The BYD Yuan Plus, as it is known in China, is the company’s first model built for the global market and is already available in several markets such as Japan, Australia, and Singapore. In China, the…

Ford’s success in the US electric vehicle (EV) market does not extend to China, where breaking through has been challenging. The American carmaker sold a paltry 7,782 units of its Mustang Mach-E model in China last year, compared to almost 40,000 units in its home country. To remain competitive in China’s rapidly expanding EV market, Ford has resorted to offering deep discounts on its electric SUV. According to a recent Reuters report, the car manufacturer is providing discounts of up to $5,700 (40,000 yuan) on the Mach-E until the end of April. A representative from Ford has revealed that the…

NIO is optimistic about its sales in 2023, projecting figures to double from those of 2022. The firm aims to finish the year with a profitable balance sheet, according to NIO CEO William Li, who stated, “We aim to break even in the fourth quarter of 2023.” The Shanghai-based company delivered 122,486 electric vehicles in 2022, representing a YoY growth of 34 percent. Li hopes to double the 2022 figure this year. However, the first quarter will be tough as new models will not arrive until the second quarter. Nonetheless, NIO has established itself as the most competitive premium brand…

Denza, the joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, has been making waves with its luxury electric vehicles. The brand’s Denza D9 MPV, the industry’s largest ever grille, has been on the market for some time now. But, the company has now announced the release of its highly-anticipated SUV – the N7. The N7 SUV is a “world-class” vehicle that has been teased by the brand for quite some time now. Finally, the first official photos of the production SUV have been unveiled, and it’s a relief to see that it looks really good. In fact, it’s a game-changer for the…

Xpeng, the Chinese electric vehicle company, has released its updated flagship sedan, the P7i, in China. Last year, the P7 was responsible for almost half of Xpeng’s total sales in mainland China. The company introduced the P7 to Europe earlier this year with updated hardware, but the P7i is solely intended for Chinese customers. The P7i is an improvement on the previous model, though Xpeng has not released any technical details about the car. However, we do know that the P7i retains the 400V architecture of its predecessor, but the battery now supports 175kW DC charging, a significant upgrade from…

Aside from the improved energy density, solid-state batteries also perform better in low temperatures. Xiaomi claims about 20% improved efficiency at -20°C. In addition, solid-state cells are safer as they don’t explode when punctured due to the lack of liquid electrolytes. The engineers at Xiaomi have further improved durability by coating the positive electrode with solid electrolyte ceramics. This not only enhances the battery’s overall durability but also makes it more resistant to overheating. The new technology promises to solve many issues with modern lithium batteries. This breakthrough could lead to the development of EVs that can travel longer distances…

The joint venture between FAW-Toyota and BYD has resulted in the production of the bZ3 electric vehicle, which has now rolled off the production line in China. The bZ3 was developed by Toyota and BYD and has been in development since 2020. After three years, it is finally available for pre-sale at a price range of 189,800 – 219,800 RMB (27,400 – 31,800 USD), with deliveries starting in Q1 2023. The first 5,000 customers who book the bZ3 online for 2,000 RMB (290 USD) before May 31 will receive a subsidy of 5,000 RMB (725 USD) when the car hits…

Li Auto and NIO, two of the leading electric vehicle (EV) companies in China, are often considered competitors in the market. However, that doesn’t stop their respective CEOs from appreciating each other’s business strategies. Li Auto’s founder, chairman, and CEO, Li Xiang, recently praised NIO’s battery swap model during a media event on March 2. According to Shanghai Securities News, Li Xiang believes that the battery swap model has a promising future in lowering the costs of EVs. In particular, he thinks that selling EVs without batteries can bring down the costs of EVs even further than traditional fuel cars.…

The electric pickup truck market in China is currently experiencing an unprecedented growth spurt, with every automaker scrambling to put a new model on the market. To keep up with the trend, Dongfeng has launched its electric pickup truck based on the diesel-powered Rich 6. The truck is essentially the 3rd generation Nissan Navara and features a double cab body on frame, room for five adults, and a load capacity of 905 kg. At nearly 5.3 meters long, the Dongfeng Rich 6 EV has bed dimensions of 1,510/1,562/474 mm, providing ample space to fit a Euro pallet, and two of…

Leapmotor, a new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, experienced a drop in sales in February compared to the same month last year, despite an improvement from January’s poor performance. The company’s latest official figures reveal that they delivered 3,198 units in February, representing a 6.9% decrease from the 3,435 units delivered in February 2022. However, the numbers do show a promising increase from January’s dismal figures, with deliveries up by 180.77% from 1,139 units in the previous month. Leapmotor, which was founded in 2015, currently offers several models for sale, including the T03 mini vehicle, the S01 coupe, the C11 flagship…

Neta, the electric vehicle (EV) brand of Hozon Auto, has made significant progress in February with a 41.53 percent increase in deliveries compared to the previous year. The company delivered 10,073 units in February, showing impressive growth from 6,016 units in January. Neta has achieved this growth through the sales of their budget EVs, Neta V and Neta U, as well as their flagship sedan, Neta S. Neta’s sales data for February reveals that the deliveries of Neta S increased by 35 percent from 1,517 units in January to 2,048 units. The brand’s current focus is on the affordable EV…

Zeekr, the electric vehicle (EV) maker owned by Geely, delivered 5,455 vehicles in February, marking a significant increase of 75.06% from 3,116 in January and 87.07% from the same month last year. The company currently has two models on sale – the Zeekr 001 hatchback and the Zeekr 009 MPV – and has cumulative deliveries of 86,519 units as of the end of February. The Zeekr 001 and Zeekr 009 have an average order amount of RMB 336,000 ($48,840) and RMB 527,000, respectively. See also: Zeekr Secures $750 Million in Series A Financing, Valuation Reaches $13 Billion In addition to…

XPeng announced that it delivered 6,010 vehicles in February, marking a 15.18% increase from 5,218 in January and a 3.45% decrease from 6,225 in the same month last year. While last year’s Chinese New Year fell in February, this year’s holiday occurred in January, which had an impact on deliveries. As of the end of February, XPeng’s total deliveries since its inception reached 269,938 vehicles. To stay ahead of the competition, XPeng is rolling out advanced driver assistance features, starting with its City NGP technology in March. The feature will be introduced in several cities, including Shenzhen and Shanghai. See…

Tesla’s highly-anticipated Model S and Model X vehicles are finally making their way to China, with the first batch being imported in small numbers. On February 28th, six pure electric Tesla cars arrived at the Nangang terminal in Shanghai Yangshan Port and were inspected by customs officers on-site. This marks the first shipment of the new Tesla Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid to China by sea since their launch. Tesla is eager to complete customs clearance as soon as possible so that the new models can be made available in the Chinese market. See also: Upcoming Tesla Cybertruck…

NIO reported a record revenue of RMB 16.06 billion ($2.33 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2022, marking the 11th consecutive quarter of revenue growth for the company. However, NIO fell short of Wall Street expectations and its gross margin plummeted to single digits. The company’s Q4 revenue was up 23.55 percent from Q3 and 62.26 percent year-on-year, but fell short of analysts’ expectations of RMB 17.265 billion. The revenue guidance for the quarter was RMB17.37 billion to RMB19.23 billion, but the company gave no new revenue guidance when it lowered its delivery guidance in December. See also: NIO’s Sub-Brand…

Li Auto announced that it has installed over 200,000 home charging piles for its owners, underscoring the company’s commitment to meeting the needs of its customers. As of January 31, the company had made 272,475 cumulative deliveries, with more than 70% of owners installing home charging piles. Li Auto’s EREVs are essentially plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), but they boast a battery range of almost 200 kilometers, longer than many conventional PHEVs. In the first four weeks of February alone, Li Auto vehicles had 15,927 insurance registrations. See also: Li Auto’s Fourth Quarter Results: Revenue Beats Expectations, Gross Margins Rebound…

NIO’s sub-brand, codenamed ALPS, is set to take advantage of the 800-volt high-voltage platform that enables faster vehicle charging. According to Shen Fei, Vice President of NIO Power, the entire lineup of ALPS will be built on this new platform, and the third-generation battery swap stations will be compatible with ALPS models. NIO’s ALPS sub-brand aims to target the mainstream market of RMB 200,000 ($28,840) to 300,000, and the vehicles will be ready for mass production and delivery in the second half of 2024. See also: NIO’s Sub-Brand ALPS to Target Mainstream Market with New Sales Channel and Halved Model…

Jiangnan Motors, a subsidiary of Zotye Auto, has launched their new affordable and efficient electric vehicle, the Jiangnan U2, on February 26th. With a starting price of 56,800 RMB (8,100 USD), which is 2,000 RMB (300 USD) lower than the pre-sale price, the U2 is expected to appeal to many customers looking for an intelligent pure electric car that doesn’t break the bank. The U2 comes in six different models, each with varying configurations and driving range, depending on the model. The car is built on the Jiangnan Automobile J-Smart 1.0 pure electric platform, which offers two power versions, one…