Author: Linda Ma

Electric vehicle manufacturer NIO has achieved a significant milestone, completing its 10,000th battery swap in Europe. The achievement comes six months after the company’s service in China reached a cumulative total of 10 million battery swaps. The Norwegian app announced the news, revealing that the 10,000th swap occurred in Lier, Norway, on February 21. To celebrate the occasion, the user, Bjarte, received a specially engraved NIO Life bottle and a commemorative certificate. NIO has continued to expand its battery swap infrastructure in Europe, with 11 stations in operation as of February 15 and six more scheduled to open soon. The…

Geely’s Zeekr brand is under fire for allegations of sales fraud and unfulfilled promises, as the company denies these accusations and prepares for its US initial public offering. Last year, consumer discontent with Zeekr grew as Chinese subsidies for electric vehicle (EV) buyers came to an end. Zeekr attempted to offset this loss by promising lifetime warranties to those who ordered the 2022 Zeekr 001 before December 31st, 2022. Many customers placed orders, drawn in by the subsidy and lifetime warranty benefits, but were unaware that the 2023 Zeekr 001 had not yet been released. See also: Zeekr Secures $750…

Geely Holding Group’s premium outdoor lifestyle brand, Radar, has begun delivering its flagship pure electric pick-up truck, the RD6, to customers in China. The first batch of RD6 vehicles were delivered at an event in Shenzhen, and further delivery events have been planned throughout February 2023. Established in 2022, Radar is focused on meeting the demands of a new generation of global consumers who value sustainable vehicles for their outdoor adventures. The brand has a strong presence in China, with 52 stores and 24 experience centers across 50 cities. See also: Radar Auto RD6 specifications : Everything You should know…

China’s new energy vehicle market has experienced a surge in sales, reaching an all-time high of 238,000 units in 2022, a significant 90% increase from the previous year, according to an analysis by Shirly Zhu, principal analyst at Interact Analysis. The new energy bus market made up 58% of total sales and totaled 138,000 units. Interestingly, small-sized buses experienced the highest growth rate, with a staggering 180% year-on-year increase to nearly 93,000 units in 2022. See also: Transdev in Sweden Places Order for 52 Electric Buses from BYD Ahead of the cancellation of national subsidies in January 2023, registration of…

Chinese automaker GAC used last year’s Guangzhou Auto Show to reveal their upcoming all-electric flagship vehicle, the Aion Hyper GT. Now, the company has given us a closer look at the interior with a set of official images. While the company didn’t say much about the cabin, the images speak for themselves. The Aion Hyper GT’s interior design looks like it has borrowed a few ideas from Tesla, but with some unique features that set it apart. The cabin has a light and airy design, thanks to the panoramic glass roof, and the dashboard features suede upholstery that complements the…

NIO is taking a bold step towards revolutionizing EV charging in China. The company announced plans to build 1,000 battery-swapping stations in China in 2023, bringing the total number of such facilities to 2,300 by year-end. The Founder and Chairman of Nio, William Li, revealed the company’s ambitious plan on Tuesday. According to Li, Nio will construct 400 battery-swapping stations along highways and 600 in urban areas, focusing on the country’s third- and fourth-tier cities and counties. See also: Nio Expands European Battery Swapping Network with Ten Stations and Seven More in the Works Battery swapping technology allows drivers to…

NIO Capital, a venture capital firm, has invested more than RMB 100 million ($14.6 million) in Newrizon, an electric commercial vehicle manufacturer founded by a former senior vice president of NIO, Huang Chendong. The funding was part of a Series B+ round and will be used for the development and mass production of light trucks and van models, the development of core electric vehicle technologies, and accelerated expansion into domestic and international markets. Newrizon received a Series A investment of over $10 million from Lightspeed China Partners at its inception and a nearly $50 million funding round led by CCV…

NIO has allowing all owners of its NT 2.0 platform vehicles to apply for a trial of its Navigate on Pilot (NOP) Plus assisted driving software. The feature was previously available to a limited number of beta testers, but now all primary users of the ET7, ET5 and ES7 vehicles can apply to receive trial access to NOP+ Beta until March 31st, 2023. To apply, owners can sign up through the NIO App, but their vehicles’ systems need to be upgraded to Banyan 1.2.2 and above. The safety of the NOP+ Beta feature has been tested and proven over time,…

VinFast has received an “Air Permit” from regulators in North Carolina, USA. This is one of several environmental permits required to start building the company’s planned $4 billion EV assembly plant in Chatham County. VinFast plans to compete with existing automakers in the US market and create more than 7,000 jobs in the process. VinFast intends to begin constructing phase one of the plant soon, following the award of the Air Permit. This phase of the project involves investing $2 billion in a factory capable of producing up to 150,000 vehicles per year. While the company is still seeking other…

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have continued their impressive growth in China, accounting for almost 90% of new energy vehicle (NEV) miles driven in January, according to the National Big Data Alliance of New Energy Vehicles (NBDANEV). The latest figures showed 17.1 billion kilometers of mileage were driven by NEVs in January, an increase of 5.99% from December. NEVs include plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), BEVs, and fuel-cell vehicles. By the end of 2022, China had 13.1 million NEVs, with BEVs accounting for 79.78% of all NEV ownership. In 2022, China’s retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles increased by 90% year-on-year,…

Chinese automaker Geely Automobile Holdings Limited has announced the launch of a new brand, Geely Galaxy, to target the mid-to-high-end new energy vehicle (NEV) market. The company will hold a launch event on February 23 to unveil the brand’s strategy and its first product. The first model of Geely Galaxy is expected to be a sedan with an imagination-breaking smart ecology and an extremely low wind resistance coefficient, as teased in several images. Geely has become the latest auto giant to launch a new NEV brand after BYD’s Yangwang brand, which debuted in January. See also: Renault and Geely announced…

There were rumors circulating yesterday that NIO would be discontinuing its older models. However, the company has since clarified the situation in a response. The NIO spokesperson stated that while previous media reports were false, the company’s older models are indeed on track to exit the market. “The three older products — ES8, ES6 and EC6 — are about to see their transitions and we are preparing for the model switch,” the spokesperson said. As a result, the 2022 ES8, ES6 and EC6 are no longer in custom production, but a few show cars and existing cars are still available…

Xiaomi’s entrance into the electric car market has faced significant challenges, particularly with obtaining a manufacturing license in China. The Chinese government recently implemented stricter requirements for electric car manufacturers after several new companies collapsed in the last few years. Under these new regulations, any company looking to start a car manufacturing business in China must obtain a specific license, which was relatively easy to obtain in the early days of electric vehicle (EV) production. However, as more and more companies entered the market, many received financial assistance from the government only to later collapse and disappear, prompting the government…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer NIO is speeding up the retirement of its older models and launching new ones following complaints about its slow product launches. According to a report from Yiche, NIO has issued an urgent internal notice that all first-generation products will be discontinued starting from the next day. The discontinued models, including the ES8, ES6, and EC6, will be withdrawn from NIO showrooms nationwide, and all test cars will be retired. NIO’s current inventory and show cars will be sold to a yet-to-be-disclosed entity. The company plans to focus on selling models based on the NT 2.0 platform,…

Xiaomi’s Investor Day was filled with exciting updates on the company’s foray into the automotive industry. CEO Lei Jun revealed that he devotes 50% of his time and energy to the automotive division and 25% to mobile phones, IoT, and premium products. The R&D team working on Xiaomi cars has expanded to over 2,300 members and is actively working towards their official mass production launch in Q1 2024. The team has made remarkable progress, with the soft-film car being produced in September of last year and winter testing scheduled for the end of December. See also: Xiaomi invests $490 million…

BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has unveiled plans to construct a new factory dedicated to battery production. The $1.2 billion facility, which will be operated by BYD’s battery unit, FinDreams Technology, is set to be built in the central province of Henan. The factory will have the capacity to produce 40 gigawatt hours of BYD’s Blade Battery annually. The project’s environmental filings were released on Friday by the Zhengzhou government, which is currently seeking feedback from the public. At this time, a spokesperson for the company has declined to comment on the matter. BYD has developed a new type…

Baojun, a Chinese automaker, has revealed the exterior design of their upcoming electric vehicle (EV), named “Yep.” The off-road-style EV will make its official debut at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show in April, with a market launch in China expected in May. Initially teased as a concept model with Kiwi branding, Baojun has decided to proceed with their own badge in the final production model. The EV’s name in Chinese is “悦也” (YueYe), which translates to “Yep” in English. See also: Baojun unveils teaser of tiny EV off-roader with a very small footprint Taking design cues from its concept predecessor,…

The electric vehicle market in China is set to welcome a new player as Zeekr’s third model, the Zeekr X, has been added to the regulatory filing list. This development means that the Zeekr X is one step closer to hitting the market. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Zeekr X is included in the latest batch of models that will soon receive approval for sale in China. The regulatory process for the Zeekr X is in its final stages, with the last step being the entry into the catalog. The public has a chance…

The second-generation Suzuki Alto from the 80s has a surprising connection to a new Chinese electric vehicle (EV) – the Jiangnan U2. The Chinese company, Jiangnan Automobile, which used to produce rebadged versions of the Suzuki Alto as one of the most affordable cars in the country, is making a comeback with a much more modern offering. The Jiangnan U2 is not a completely original vehicle, as it heavily resembles the Ruixiang Hoen O2 from BAIC. Although it shares most of its body panels with the latter, it has a unique look that pays homage to the Jiangnan TT (2001-2010),…

BYD, China’s leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, has just introduced its updated plug-in hybrid sedan, the Qin Plus DM-i 2023, in five different versions. With a starting price range from RMB 99,800 ($14,650) to RMB 145,800, this is the first time that BYD has made a model with its DM-i powertrain available for less than RMB 100,000. The model measures 4,765 mm in length, 1,837 mm in width, and 1,495 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,718 mm. Powered by a 1.5L engine with a maximum output of 81 kW and 135 Nm of torque, the Qin Plus…