Author: Jackson Han

BYD said it has signed new agreements with leading EV charging operators Teld and Star Charge to expand the deployment of ultra-fast charging stations across China capable of delivering up to 1 megawatt (MW) of power. The partnerships, announced on June 16, aim to speed up adoption of megawatt-level charging infrastructure, the company said in a statement. While BYD did not disclose specific deployment figures or a project timeline, the announcement marks a continuation of its push into high-power charging, which the company believes is key to supporting next-generation electric vehicles. Teld and Star Charge are China’s top two public…

Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide is expanding its international presence with plans to deploy robotaxi services in Dubai in collaboration with Uber Technologies and the city’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the company announced on Monday. The partnership aims to roll out commercial robotaxi services through the Uber platform by the end of 2024. The initial fleet will operate with onboard safety officers while also conducting fully autonomous road testing. The service is expected to transition to fully driverless commercial operations by the first quarter of 2026. The move follows WeRide’s launch of driverless pilot operations in Abu Dhabi last…

China on Friday unveiled draft guidelines aimed at regulating the export of automotive data, a move that could provide a framework for companies such as Tesla seeking to transfer vehicle-generated data abroad. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) outlined circumstances under which companies would or would not be required to undergo security assessments for cross-border data transfers. The new draft, open for public feedback until July 13, is seen as a critical step toward clarifying how China will manage the sensitive issue of data generated by smart vehicles. According to the guidelines, data collected in China for the…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Leapmotor said on Thursday it will officially launch its updated C16 SUV on June 18, marking a significant refresh for the model just a year after its initial debut. The new version promises over 70 major enhancements and will include both extended-range and battery electric options. Leapmotor announced the launch date and accompanying product event via its official Weibo account, confirming that the 2026 C16 will be introduced during a live broadcast beginning at 2 p.m. Beijing Time. The SUV will feature notable upgrades, including extended driving range and improved cabin space, although the company…

eRoaming platform Hubject has received regulatory approval from Germany’s financial watchdog, BaFin, to operate its financial services subsidiary under the Payment Services Oversight Act (ZAG), becoming the first company in the eMobility sector with its own regulated financial services arm. The approval allows Hubject to provide fully compliant payment processing through its Interchange platform, streamlining transactions between charge point operators (CPOs) and eMobility service providers (EMPs). In addition to facilitating access to cross-border charging networks, Hubject can now handle invoicing, settlements, and multi-currency payments under a unified, regulated financial backend. “Today marks the completion of our most ambitious project,” said…

Denza, the premium electric vehicle brand under China’s BYD, will enter the German market in the fourth quarter of 2025 with two models: the Z9 GT shooting brake and the D9 electric van. The announcement marks a concrete step in BYD’s plans to expand its premium lineup into Europe, following an initial indication in April without specific launch details. The Denza Z9 GT will be offered in Germany in both a fully electric and a plug-in hybrid configuration. The battery-electric version, already on sale in China since September 2024, is equipped with three motors delivering a total output of 710…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng  on Wednesday  launched its new G7 electric SUV, marking the company’s first model to feature its proprietary autonomous driving chips and AI-powered cockpit system. Pre-sales for the G7 began immediately, with a starting price of RMB 235,800 ($32,780). Positioned between Xpeng’s G6 and G9 SUVs, the mid-size G7 is built on an 800-volt high-voltage platform and comes in Max and Ultra variants, each equipped with a battery supporting 5C fast charging. The company claims a CLTC range of up to 702 kilometers (436 miles) for both variants. Measuring 4,892 mm in length with a…

Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra has broken the Nürburgring lap record for production electric vehicles, achieving a time of 7:04.957 and surpassing the previous benchmark set by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, the company’s chief executive said on Tuesday. The milestone was announced by Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun on Chinese social media platform Weibo. According to Lei, professional driver Vincent Radermecker piloted the SU7 Ultra to the record on April 1, narrowly outperforming the Taycan’s previous best of 7:07.55 set in September 2023. “I believe this record will be broken again in the near future,” Lei wrote, sharing a timing…

BYD has expanded its presence in the Middle East with the launch of its Seal 07 DM-i hybrid sedan, renamed Seal 7 DM-i for the Gulf region. The vehicle became available in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman in May, with Bahrain set to follow shortly, the company announced on Tuesday. This launch marks BYD’s continued push in the Gulf markets, where it currently offers seven models, including three plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and four battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The company signaled plans to introduce additional models in the region in the near future. The…

Tesla’s vehicle sales in China dropped sharply in May as mounting price competition from domestic electric vehicle (EV) makers weighed on demand. Retail sales fell 30.11% year-on-year to 38,588 units, despite a sequential rebound of 34.31% from April, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Sunday. The drop marked Tesla’s fourth year-on-year sales decline in the country so far this year, with total domestic retail sales reaching 201,926 units from January to May — down 7.82% from the same period in 2023. Analysts said intensified price wars led by local brands such as BYD (HKG: 1211) and…

Geely Holding Group chairman and founder Li Shufu said on Saturday that the global automotive sector is grappling with “serious overcapacity,” prompting the Chinese automaker to suspend new plant construction and expansion at existing facilities. Speaking at an auto industry forum in the central Chinese city of Chongqing, Li said the company had decided to refrain from further increasing its production footprint. “The global automotive industry is facing serious overcapacity, and we will not build new plants or expand production at existing ones,” Li stated, according to a company summary of the event. Geely, one of China’s largest privately held…

BYD has entered the top 10 list of best-selling imported car brands in Japan for the first time, driven by strong demand for its newly launched Sealion 7 electric SUV, the company said on Friday. The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer registered 416 vehicles in Japan in May, a record monthly high that surpassed its previous peak of 353 units set in March. The surge in sales helped BYD secure a spot among the top 10 imported car brands in the country, according to data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association. “The Sealion 7 electric SUV has significantly increased…