Author: Jackson Han

Swedish electric vehicle (EV) maker Polestar has denied reports that it is withdrawing from the Chinese market, despite ongoing restructuring efforts and workforce reductions. The company affirmed that its joint venture with Meizu remains operational and stated that customer services and shareholder support remain unaffected. See also: Polestar Secures $450 Million Loan, Delays Q4 Results Amid Financial Challenges Local media reports indicate that Polestar Technology’s Nanjing headquarters has been undergoing substantial downsizing since February. Senior executives and employees are expected to depart by mid-March, while approximately 50 staff members in sales and operations were reportedly laid off after the Lunar…

Li Auto has surpassed 10,000 operational superchargers as it accelerates infrastructure expansion in preparation for the launch of new battery electric vehicle (BEV) models, the company announced on Friday. The Chinese automaker activated its 1,873rd supercharging station, bringing its total number of superchargers to over 10,000, nearly two years after opening its first station in April 2023. “This milestone reinforces our commitment to alleviating charging concerns for BEV owners,” said Li Xiang, the company’s founder, chairman, and CEO. See also: Li Auto to Introduce Smart-Driving Upgrades in May, No 2025 Model-Year Refresh Li Auto’s superchargers come in 2C, 4C, and…

Zeekr Group reported a sequential decline in vehicle deliveries for February, with 31,277 units delivered, marking a 50.96% increase from a year earlier but a 25.56% drop from January’s 42,019 units. The decline was primarily driven by a slowdown in Lynk & Co’s performance, while the Zeekr brand recorded growth. The Zeekr brand delivered 14,039 vehicles in February, reflecting an 86.94% year-on-year increase and a 17.56% rise from January. See also: Zeekr 007 GT Makes Real-Life Debut, with 825 km Range and 800V Charging In contrast, Lynk & Co’s February deliveries totaled 17,238 units, up 30.50% year-on-year but down 42.69%…

Xpeng maintained strong vehicle deliveries in February despite the traditionally slow start to the year for China’s auto market, the company said. Xpeng delivered 30,453 vehicles last month, marking a 570% surge from 4,545 units a year earlier and remaining steady from 30,350 deliveries in January. Total deliveries for the first two months of 2025 reached 60,803, up 375% from the same period last year. See also: Xpeng to Launch Mona M03 Max With Enhanced Smart Driving in May The surge was primarily driven by the Mona M03 and P7+ electric sedans. Mona M03 deliveries surpassed 15,000 units for the…

Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra, an ultra-performance electric sedan, hit its full-year sales target within two hours of launch, highlighting the company’s ability to generate strong consumer interest in its high-performance EVs. The rapid surge in orders reinforces Xiaomi’s ambitious push into the electric vehicle market, where it aims to challenge established luxury brands. “Two hours into sales, firm orders over 10,000 units, reaching a key goal, thanks to everyone!” Xiaomi’s automotive division, Xiaomi EV, announced on Weibo early Friday morning Beijing time. The immediate demand reflects the growing appeal of Xiaomi’s EV lineup, following the success of the standard SU7 sedan…

Japan’s second-largest oil refiner, Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd, announced plans on Thursday to build a large-scale lithium sulphide plant at its Chiba refinery, located near Tokyo. This facility aims to produce a key material essential for all-solid-state batteries, which are anticipated to enhance the performance and safety of electric vehicles (EVs). This initiative is part of Idemitsu’s ongoing collaboration with Toyota Motor Corp to commercialize next-generation batteries. Toyota aims to introduce EVs equipped with all-solid-state batteries by 2027-2028, targeting significant improvements in driving range and reduced charging times compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. See also: Mazda to Build 10 GWh…

BYD has applied for regulatory approval in China for its new electric sedan, the Seal 08, a model positioned as the sibling of the upcoming Qin L EV, according to official documents. The vehicle is expected to debut later this year, with a starting price below 150,000 yuan ($20,000). The Seal 08 will be available in two powertrain configurations—110 kW and 160 kW—and offer battery capacities of 46.1 kWh and 56.6 kWh. Measuring 4.72 meters in length, the model closely mirrors the Qin L EV, for which BYD submitted approval documents last week. Both models are part of BYD’s strategy…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto said on Tuesday it will release its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 on March 14, ahead of U.S. market hours. The company will hold an earnings call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (8:00 p.m. Beijing time) the same day to discuss the results and provide an update on its outlook, it said in a statement. See also: Li Auto Unveils Li i8, Its First All-Electric SUV, with Official Images Released Li Auto delivered 158,696 vehicles in the fourth quarter, falling short of its earlier guidance of…

China’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery industry is witnessing a rebound as demand picks up and major manufacturers secure new orders, following a period of price declines that impacted profitability. Several LFP producers have reported an increase in capacity utilization, with some running at full production to meet rising market demand, according to a report from Securities Times. “Mainstream LFP makers are now generally seeing an increase in capacity utilization, especially with strong demand for high-end products,” the publication quoted a lithium battery materials industry insider as saying. See also: China Dominates Global EV Battery Supply Chain, Study Finds In…

Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker BYD is set to introduce an advanced on-vehicle drone system in partnership with drone manufacturer DJI, as it moves to incorporate drone technology into more of its models. BYD announced on its Weibo account on Saturday that it would collaborate with DJI on March 2 for the launch of a smart in-vehicle drone system. “With eyes that can think, frame every moment of the excitement of traveling,” the company wrote, suggesting the system is designed to allow drones to track vehicles in motion. The automaker previously integrated a drone system into one of its…

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has placed an order for 58 Enviro400EV electric double-decker buses from British manufacturer Alexander Dennis, with delivery scheduled before the end of the year, the company announced. The Enviro400EV was developed to meet Transport for London (TfL) specifications and comes with a standard 472 kWh battery, accommodating up to 87 passengers. See also: Liverpool Allocates £26 Million for New Electric Double-Decker Buses as Part of Green Transport Initiative A smaller 354 kWh variant can transport up to 96 passengers, though Alexander Dennis has not disclosed which version Liverpool has ordered. The manufacturer highlighted the…

Tesla is utilizing publicly available videos of Chinese roads and traffic signs to train its Full Self-Driving (FSD) algorithm, as the company navigates data restrictions in China, CEO Elon Musk said. Musk made the statement on X, the social media platform he owns, in response to a discussion about the performance of Tesla’s smart driving features in China. See also: Tesla Deploys U.S. Engineers to China for FSD Development, Advances Local Algorithm Optimization Tesla began rolling out software update version 2024.45.32.12 to eligible vehicles in China, introducing advanced driver-assistance capabilities similar to FSD in the United States. However, the update…

Xiaomi EV, the electric vehicle unit of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, announced on Monday that it will officially launch the SU7 Ultra, the high-performance variant of its debut electric sedan, on February 27 at 7 p.m. Beijing time. The SU7 Ultra was first unveiled on October 29, 2023, and entered pre-sales at a price of RMB 814,900 ($112,420). Xiaomi previously reported that the model received 3,680 pre-orders within the first 10 minutes of pre-sales. See also: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Gets a Sleek Cosmic Silver Makeover The SU7 Ultra is positioned as a flagship offering, priced nearly four times higher than…

The European Commission should reject proposals from automakers to ease 2025 CO2 emission targets and related fines, two European electric transport groups said in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday. The letter, seen by Reuters, urged the EU executive to maintain existing climate goals and resist calls for a slower phase-in of emissions limits or a multi-year averaging system for fines. The groups argued that any penalties should be allocated to funding the bloc’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs). See also: EU Commission Allocates €422 Million for Charging and Hydrogen Infrastructure Projects EU automakers have…

Xiaomi EV has filed for regulatory approval of a new dual-motor variant of its upcoming YU7 SUV, marking the third version of the model submitted for clearance. The filing appears in China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) latest regulatory catalog, open for public feedback from February 20-26. Inclusion in the catalog is one of the final steps before a model can be sold in the Chinese market. See also: Xiaomi YU7 Electric SUV Revealed in Road Tests, Set to Compete with Tesla Model Y in Mid-2025 The newly registered variant, carrying the model number XMA6500LBEVA2, is a five-seater…

Nio’s sub-brand Onvo has officially named its second model the Onvo L90, dismissing earlier reports that suggested it would be called the Onvo L80. The announcement was made by Onvo president Alan Ai during a live video stream with Charles Zhang, founder of Chinese news portal Sohu. “I had so much fun talking with Charles today that I revealed the Onvo L90 will be coming soon,” Ai wrote on Weibo. Positioned as Onvo’s flagship SUV, the L90 will feature a three-row seating configuration, targeting large families. Ai confirmed that the model will debut in the second quarter of 2025 and…

Li Auto plans to integrate LiDAR sensors as a standard feature on all new models this year, including updated versions of its extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) and upcoming battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Chinese media outlet 36kr reported on Wednesday. The move comes as competition in China’s smart driving sector intensifies. Li Auto currently offers two smart driving solutions: AD Pro for lower-priced variants and AD Max for premium versions. AD Pro, powered by Horizon Robotics’ Journey 5 chip with a computing power of 128 TOPS, currently lacks LiDAR and relies on supplier QCraft for its algorithms, limiting its autonomous driving…

Denza, the premium brand of BYD, has started pre-sales for its latest SUV model, the N9, with pricing between $62,100 and $75,900, the company announced on Wednesday. The move comes just three days after launching the updated N7 SUV. Customers can secure a pre-order for $276, which includes benefits such as priority access to the limited first edition. The Denza N9 is a six-seat hybrid SUV measuring 5,258 mm in length, 2,030 mm in width, and 1,830 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,125 mm. See also: Everything You Should Know About Denza N9 Competing in the same segment…

Nio will begin deliveries of its flagship executive sedan, the ET9, at the end of March, company founder and CEO William Li said on Tuesday. The announcement refines the company’s earlier plan to start deliveries sometime in March. Li provided the update during a conversation on Weibo with Richard Yu, managing director of Huawei’s intelligent vehicle solutions business unit, inviting him to test the ET9 at that time. Yu had previously praised the model at an event on Monday while discussing the safety performance of the Maextro S800 luxury sedan. See also: Nio Denies Layoff Rumors, Takes Legal Action Against…

Niohas refuted recent rumors of large-scale layoffs, calling them “ridiculously untrue” in a statement posted on its mobile app late Wednesday. The Chinese electric vehicle maker stated that its legal department has reported the matter to the police and warned that the individual responsible for spreading the false claim should be concerned about potential consequences. The company reiterated that it is actively recruiting for several positions and welcoming new employees. The denial follows the circulation of a screenshot on social media earlier in the day, where a user alleged that an unnamed “luxury car company” was cutting 50% of its…