Author: Andrew Wang

Mercedes-Benz is shifting development of a new electric vehicle platform to China and plans to base it on technology from its Chinese partner Geely Auto, according to a Chinese media report. The new entry-level EV platform, codenamed Phoenix, will be developed using Geely’s GEEA (Geely Electronic & Electrical Architecture) 4.0 platform, Chinese outlet 36Kr reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Under the reported restructuring, the Mercedes-Benz China R&D Center will become the global headquarters for compact vehicle development. The facility will independently oversee the design and engineering of future compact models, with the Phoenix platform expected to…

Changan Automobile has introduced the all-electric Deepal S05 in the United Kingdom, marking the brand’s second model to enter the market after the launch of the S07 last year. Orders for the Deepal S05 open on March 1, with pricing starting at £37,990 for the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version and £39,990 for the all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant. Both versions are equipped with a 68.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. See also: Changan Launches Deepal S07 Electric SUV in UK Starting at £39,990 The RWD model is powered by a 200 kW synchronous motor producing 290 Nm of torque, enabling acceleration from…

Stellantis NV is considering adopting electric vehicle technology from its Chinese partner Leapmotor for use in its European mass-market brands, including Fiat, Opel and Peugeot, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. If implemented, the move would mark the first time a major Western automaker relies on a Chinese company’s vehicle architecture and software platform to underpin models sold in Europe. See also: Leapmotor February Deliveries Rise 10.99% to 28,067 Units Despite Holiday Impact According to the report, Stellantis is evaluating whether to expand the scope of its existing joint venture with Leapmotor to gain access to the Chinese…

Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) delivered 28,212 vehicles in February, a 31.11% increase from a year earlier despite a sharp decline from January, the company said. Deliveries fell 51.29% month on month from January’s 57,915 units, reflecting the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday, which ran from Feb. 15 to Feb. 23 this year and disrupted production across China’s auto industry. See also: Huawei’s HIMA Conducts Internal Level 3 Autonomous Driving Tests in Shenzhen Cumulative deliveries under the HIMA umbrella have now exceeded 1.28 million vehicles since launch, the company said. For the first two months of the…

The Chinese joint venture between Audi and SAIC has reduced prices for its all-electric AUDI E5 Sportback in China, offering discounts of about 30,000 yuan (roughly €3,700) until March 31 as sales lag behind expectations. According to automotive outlet CarNewsChina, only 7,070 units of the model had been delivered by the end of January 2026, including just 420 vehicles sold during that month. The figures contrast with earlier claims that more than 10,000 reservations were placed shortly after pre-sales began in August 2025. Such reservation campaigns in China are typically non-binding, and industry reports suggest that only a small share…

China is preparing new vehicle safety regulations that would effectively prohibit yoke-style steering wheels from future models, according to draft rules issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and first reported by Autohome. The updated standards are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and would apply to all newly approved vehicles. The proposal updates steering safety regulations that have remained largely unchanged since 2011. Regulators say the revisions are necessary as electric vehicles introduce unconventional interior designs, including non-traditional steering controls. Under the new rules, steering wheels must pass impact tests at ten specific points…

China’s FAW Group has begun testing prototype vehicles equipped with semi-solid-state batteries developed by its battery subsidiary China Automotive New Energy Battery (CANEB), marking another step toward commercialisation of advanced battery technologies. The new battery pack, installed in a prototype from FAW’s premium Hongqi marque, has a capacity of 142 kWh and is claimed to deliver a driving range exceeding 1,000 kilometres under China’s CLTC testing cycle. While full specifications have not been disclosed, Chinese reports indicate cell energy density above 500 Wh/kg—significantly higher than current mainstream lithium-ion batteries. At that density, the cells alone would weigh roughly 285 kilograms,…

Japan’s Toyota Motor sold more battery-electric vehicles in China than Germany’s Volkswagen brand in 2025 for the first time, though both companies remain minor players in the country’s fast-growing electric vehicle market, according to industry data. Toyota delivered about 100,000 battery-electric cars in China last year, compared with roughly 85,000 sold by the Volkswagen brand, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported, citing figures from automotive data provider MarkLines. The milestone highlights shifting dynamics in a market long dominated by local manufacturers. China is far more critical to Volkswagen’s global business than to Toyota’s. More than 40% of Volkswagen brand sales occur in…

Mirattery, the battery asset management company linked to Nio Inc., said it has completed the C3 tranche of its Series C financing, raising about 1 billion yuan ($145 million) and bringing total funding in the round to nearly 2 billion yuan. The latest investment introduces two state-owned enterprise shareholders from Hefei — Hefei Construction Investment Holding and Hefei Economic and Technological Development Zone (HETDZ) Investment Promotion — reinforcing the city’s ongoing support for Nio’s ecosystem. Hefei hosts multiple Nio manufacturing facilities and previously provided financial backing to the automaker during a liquidity crisis in 2019. See also: Mirattery Completes RMB…

Xiaomi’s electric vehicle division has delivered its 600,000th car, the company said on Friday, underscoring the rapid expansion of the consumer electronics maker’s automotive business less than two years after its market debut. The milestone comes about 22 months after Xiaomi began customer deliveries on April 3, 2024. The company announced the achievement on its official Weibo account, marking a significant benchmark for one of China’s newest entrants to the competitive EV sector. See also: Xiaomi Files Updated SU7 Electric Sedan Ahead of April Launch in China Xiaomi first revealed plans to enter vehicle manufacturing in March 2021 and launched…

China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market recorded a sharp decline in January, with domestic registrations falling 19% year-on-year to 643,000 units, as seasonal weakness and revised subsidy policies weighed on demand. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), total wholesale NEV sales — which include vehicles produced in China for both domestic use and export — reached 945,000 units in January 2026. That figure was broadly stable compared with 944,000 units a year earlier, representing a marginal increase of 0.1%. However, sales were down 44.7% from December 2025, when more than 1.7 million NEVs were sold. See also:…

Mirattery, the battery asset operator of Nio Inc, has completed a RMB 501 million ($72.5 million) Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) issuance as part of its ongoing asset securitization efforts. The issuance, which closed on Wednesday, is backed by power batteries provided to vehicle owners under a leasing model. The company said the transaction represents the world’s first held-for-investment power battery REIT, structured as a held-type asset-backed security (ABS), marking a new step in securitizing battery assets tied to electric vehicle operations. See also: Nio Targets Profitability in Power Business After 100 Million Battery Swaps Held-for-investment REITs are typically designed…