Author: James Bryant

China’s Xpeng has introduced a new version of its P7 electric liftback capable of autonomously driving from the production line to the shipping area at its Guangzhou factory, marking a step toward wider deployment of driverless operations. The latest P7 integrates three in-house developed Turing AI chips, each with a computing capacity of 750 trillion operations per second (TOPS), delivering a combined peak performance of 2,250 TOPS. This level of computing power is around three times higher than Tesla’s Model Y powered by the AI 4 system-on-chip and exceeds Nvidia’s Orin Thor. The system supports large-scale Vision-Language-Action and Vision-Language Models,…

German auto supplier Norma Group said it has secured a major order to provide eM-Safe connectors for the battery thermal management systems of a new U.S. electric vehicle platform, with production to begin in 2027. The order, valued at about 14 million euros ($15.4 million), is expected to cover up to 90,000 vehicles annually through 2034. The connectors will be produced at Norma’s plant in St. Clair, Michigan, and shipped to another supplier for integration. Norma did not disclose the customer but indicated the new platform would target cost-efficient electric vehicles for broader adoption. The description closely matches Ford’s “Universal…

Chinese new energy vehicle maker BYD said it will build a completely knocked down (CKD) assembly plant in Malaysia as part of efforts to expand in Southeast Asia, with production expected to begin in 2026. The announcement came at the launch of the updated BYD Seal in Malaysia on August 22. “Malaysia has always been one of BYD’s most important markets in Southeast Asia, and today’s dual announcement of CKD and the New BYD SEAL marks a new chapter in our journey here,” said Liu Xue Liang, general manager of BYD’s Asia-Pacific auto sales division. BYD has been expanding its…

Italy’s antitrust authority AGCM said on Friday it had found Enel, the country’s largest energy provider, engaged in anti-competitive practices in the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector. The regulator concluded that Enel X and its subsidiary restricted competition through “margin-squeezing practices” designed to limit rival operators’ market access. The investigation, launched in spring 2023, examined conduct between 2022 and 2023. According to AGCM, Enel’s behaviour not only reduced competition but also hindered innovation in e-mobility services. Enel X and Enel X Way Italia rejected the findings and announced plans to appeal. The companies said the assessment failed to take into…

Hyundai Motor and Kia have joined forces with South Korea’s leading battery companies to advance electric vehicle technology and strengthen the country’s global competitiveness, officials said Friday. The alliance brings together Hyundai and Kia with three major battery manufacturers—LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On—for the first time, signaling a coordinated effort to counter growing Chinese dominance in the EV sector. The partnership will focus on safety technology, digital battery management, design and manufacturing quality, and firefighting solutions. The collaboration follows a joint initiative by Hyundai and Kia launched last September to develop lower-cost lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, intended to…

Genesis is preparing to launch a performance version of its GV60 electric crossover under the carmaker’s newly created Magma division, aiming to differentiate itself from Hyundai’s N brand and Kia’s GT line while targeting buyers seeking luxury-focused driving dynamics. The GV60 Magma has been developed in South Korea, but future Magma models will be engineered and tuned at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center near Frankfurt, Germany. The facility is led by Tyrone Johnson, who played a key role in the development of the Ford Focus RS. He told Top Gear that the first Magma cars designed in Germany, including…

Ford Motor is offering lease deals on its Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD Extended Battery in the United States, with monthly payments starting at $259. The offer is valid until September 2 under the Ford Credit Red Carpet Lease program. The three-year lease requires $4,219 at signing and includes $6,750 in cash incentives, consisting of $6,250 in EV Red Carpet Lease Cash and $500 from the Ford Power Promise. See also: Ford Mustang Mach-E Involved in Unusual Highway Crash in San Francisco Bay Area No security deposit is required. Ford said it would also waive the $395 lease disposition fee if…

The European Union and the United States have agreed to retroactively reduce U.S. tariffs on cars and car parts from 27.5% to 15%, a move that ends weeks of uncertainty for European automakers but remains contingent on reciprocal tariff cuts from Brussels. The reductions, initially agreed in July but never implemented, will now apply retroactively from Aug. 1. The U.S. decision covers strategic industries including cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber. In return, the EU is expected to initiate its own legislative process to ease imports of selected U.S. goods. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who led negotiations with U.S. Commerce…

Australia Post has started a pilot programme with 36 Mercedes-Benz eVito electric vans in metropolitan delivery operations, expanding its fleet of more than 5,000 electric vehicles. The initiative is part of the organisation’s goal to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050. The eVito vans will be powered by renewable electricity through Australia Post’s charging network and represent the first time the postal operator has trialled electric vans at this scale. The move builds on its existing fleet of electric three-wheelers and other light transport solutions. Australia Post plans to roll out the vans over the coming months and is working…

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday it is investigating Tesla  after identifying delays in the company’s submission of crash reports involving advanced driver-assistance and self-driving vehicles. The agency requires automakers to submit such reports within one to five days of being notified of a crash. NHTSA said it had found “numerous incident crash reports from Tesla that arrived several months or more after those incidents.” In a statement, the regulator said it had launched an audit query “to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the…

BYD said on Monday it has entered a strategic partnership with Finnish automotive distributor Veho Group to strengthen its sales and service presence in Finland, one of Europe’s key markets for new energy vehicles (NEVs). The Chinese automaker said the tie-up will support the opening of new retail outlets in Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere and Turku, with plans to develop a nationwide sales and after-sales service network. The move is aimed at improving convenience for local customers in purchasing, using and maintaining BYD vehicles. “Finland is one of Europe’s most important NEV markets, and the partnership with Veho will enable more…

Tesla is advancing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in Asia, with testing now underway in Japan and plans for a launch in Thailand, signaling the company’s broader push to expand autonomous driving capabilities globally. In Japan, Tesla has begun operating FSD-equipped vehicles on public roads this summer, according to a report from Nikkei. While drivers remain in the vehicles to monitor safety, the system handles actual driving tasks. Tesla Japan is conducting these tests in preparation for a broader rollout once the system meets domestic safety standards. Both new vehicles and previously sold Teslas in Japan are expected to be…