Author: Jackson Han

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…

BYD has started sea trials for its two newest car carriers, BYD Xi’an and BYD Changsha, each capable of transporting up to 9,200 vehicles — among the highest cargo capacities globally for automotive transport vessels. The announcement was made Thursday by semi-official Weibo account @小迪快报, which tracks developments related to BYD. The two vessels are expected to enter service soon, marking a key step in the Chinese automaker’s push to enhance its international logistics capabilities. The BYD Changsha and BYD Xi’an will be the fifth and sixth ships in the company’s expanding fleet, joining earlier vessels including BYD Explorer No.…

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD plans to significantly expand its dealership footprint in South Africa by 2026 as part of a broader strategy to boost its market share in the region, a company executive said on Wednesday. The company expects to have around 20 dealerships in the country by the end of 2024, up from about 13 currently, and aims to grow that number to between 30 and 35 in 2025. “The aim is to expand that to about 30, 35 the next year,” said Steve Chang, General Manager of BYD South Africa, in an interview with Reuters. BYD, which…

Tesla has reintroduced its owner referral rewards program in China, offering discounts on paint options to encourage vehicle purchases amid continued sales pressure in the country, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market. From June 5 to June 30, customers who buy Tesla vehicles through a referral can receive a discount of RMB 8,000 ($1,110) on paid paint finishes, according to an announcement on Tesla’s official Weibo account. Referrers, including existing Tesla owners or customers who have placed orders but not yet taken delivery, will earn Tesla points valued at RMB 800 per successful referral. The program covers Tesla’s Shanghai-made…

Maextro, the new high-end automotive brand co-developed by Chinese tech giant Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC), secured over 2,600 firm orders within 72 hours of launching its first model, the Maextro S800 luxury sedan, Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) announced on Monday. The Maextro S800 debuted on the evening of May 30, offering both battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants. The model carries a starting price of RMB 708,000 ($98,360), notably lower than earlier estimates of between RMB 1 million and RMB 1.5 million. Within an hour of the launch event, more than…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr will officially launch its Zeekr 7X SUV in Hong Kong later this month, the company said on Tuesday, as it expands international sales following the model’s recent debut in Europe. A Zeekr spokesperson told CnEVPost that the 7X is “poised to become a new benchmark for family vehicles in the city” when it goes on sale in late June. The model, a mid-sized electric SUV, is Zeekr’s second offering aimed at the mainstream market, following the Zeekr 007 sedan. The 7X debuted in mainland China on September 20, 2024, and is available in three variants…