Author: Kevin Liu

BYD has officially launched the Da Tang EV, the first full-size flagship electric SUV in its Dynasty series, as the Chinese automaker strengthens its presence in the premium electric vehicle market. The new model, also known as the Great Tang, arrives with a starting price of 239,900 yuan ($35,500), undercutting its previously announced pre-sale pricing and positioning it as a direct challenger to a growing number of premium electric and extended-range SUVs in China. Four variants with up to 950 km of range The Da Tang EV is available in four configurations. The entry-level rear-wheel-drive model with an 800-kilometer range…

BYD said it does not expect any disruption to its business operations after being added to a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) list of Chinese companies that the Pentagon alleges are linked to China’s military. In a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Shenzhen-based electric vehicle and battery manufacturer said it is neither a Chinese military company nor a contributor to China’s military-civil fusion program. BYD Challenges Pentagon Designation The company said the Pentagon’s list should not be viewed as a sanctions list and does not prohibit commercial entities from conducting business with BYD. According to the filing,…

BAIC BluePark reported that its new energy vehicle subsidiary, BAIC BJEV, sold 21,871 vehicles in May, an increase of 27.75% compared with the same month last year, supported by strong demand for its ARCFOX and Stelato brands. The company disclosed that cumulative sales for the first five months of 2026 reached 68,613 units, up 24.39% year-on-year. Vehicle production grew even faster than sales, rising 56.20% to 20,982 units in May, suggesting improved manufacturing capacity, a recovering supply chain and a growing order pipeline. ARCFOX Remains Volume Leader ARCFOX continued to serve as BAIC BluePark’s primary sales driver, delivering 17,943 vehicles…

Volkswagen Anhui delivered 2,303 vehicles in May, marking a 119% increase from April as the company accelerated product launches and expanded its portfolio of intelligent battery-electric vehicles in China’s highly competitive new energy vehicle market. The company said deliveries during the first five months of 2026 increased at an average monthly rate of 55%, reflecting sustained growth momentum as its latest models gain traction among consumers. ID. UNYX Models Drive Growth Volkswagen Anhui currently offers three fully electric models under its ID. UNYX lineup: the ID. UNYX 06, ID. UNYX 07 and ID. UNYX 08. According to the company, customer…

BYD has entered into a strategic partnership with Chinese energy company Sinopec to accelerate the rollout of its fast-charging infrastructure across China. The two companies signed an industrial and capital cooperation framework agreement in Beijing on June 3, focusing on charging network construction, ecosystem integration and supply chain collaboration. Focus on Flash Charging Expansion Under the agreement, BYD will work with Sinopec to expand its flash charging network by utilizing the energy company’s extensive nationwide service station footprint. The partnership is expected to support BYD’s “Flash Charging China” initiative, which aims to significantly expand high-power charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.…

BYD reported a modest increase in new energy vehicle (NEV) sales in May, ending eight consecutive months of year-on-year declines as strong overseas demand helped offset continued weakness in China’s domestic market. The company sold 383,453 NEVs in May, up 0.3% from a year earlier and 19.4% higher than in April, according to figures released on Monday. Despite the improvement in monthly performance, BYD’s cumulative sales for the first five months of the year totaled 1.41 million vehicles, down 20.3% from the same period in 2025. Overseas Sales Reach Record High International markets remained the strongest contributor to growth during…

Geely Auto has introduced an updated version of its Xingyuan compact electric vehicle in China, lowering the entry price while adding new technology features as competition intensifies in the country’s mass-market EV segment. The updated Xingyuan officially went on sale on May 29 with a limited-time starting price of 61,800 yuan (US$9,130), lower than the discounted starting price of the previous 2026 model introduced in October 2025. Pricing and Purchase Incentives The updated Geely Xingyuan is available in six variants. Official guide prices range from 64,800 yuan to 94,800 yuan, while customers who place and lock in orders before June…

Xiaomi is reportedly introducing new battery suppliers for its planned second automotive brand as the company expands further into China’s family-oriented SUV market. According to Chinese media outlet 21jingji, Xiaomi has selected Sunwoda and CALB to supply batteries for a new extended-range SUV internally codenamed Kunlun N3. The report cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter and said Sunwoda would account for 60% of the battery supply allocation, while CALB would provide the remaining 40%. The new vehicle is expected to launch under a separate brand called Skynomad, which would operate independently from Xiaomi’s main EV lineup. According to the…

Nio founder and chief executive William Li called on China’s electric vehicle industry to standardize battery cell formats and reduce semiconductor variety, saying fragmented component specifications are creating significant inefficiencies and capital waste across the supply chain. Speaking on Saturday at the China EV 100 Forum, Li said the rapid pace of smart EV product updates has disrupted the balance between supply and demand in China’s auto market. “The lack of unified battery cell specifications has become a very serious problem restricting costs, efficiency, market response capabilities, and long-term industry competition,” Li said. He said automakers frequently invest heavily to…

Geely has reorganised its European development operations by creating a new unit, Geely Technology Europe, consolidating activities in Gothenburg and Frankfurt. The new organisation will serve as Geely’s central European engineering hub, supporting global vehicle programmes and accelerating the development of platforms, software and digital vehicle functions for international markets. The restructuring is intended to strengthen Europe’s role within Geely’s global R&D network while ensuring that regional customer requirements are integrated earlier into product development. Under the new structure, Geely Technology Europe will collaborate more closely with the Geely Research Institute in China. According to a report by AutomotiveIT, this…

Qijing, a premium electric vehicle brand jointly developed by Huawei and GAC Group, has officially adopted the English name Aistaland, marking its global debut alongside the launch of its first model, the GT7 shooting brake. The brand said the name Aistaland is derived from “AI Start New Land,” reflecting its ambition to leverage artificial intelligence to redefine mobility. It also introduced “Make Difference” as its core value, positioning itself in the high-end EV segment with a focus on intelligent and safe driving experiences. The GT7, unveiled at the launch event, measures 5,050 mm in length, 1,980 mm in width, and…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng has launched an extended-range version of its G6 SUV as the company moves deeper into China’s fast-growing hybrid vehicle segment. The Xpeng G6 extended-range model starts at 186,800 yuan ($27,080), slightly higher than the 176,800 yuan starting price of the fully electric 2026 G6 introduced earlier this year. The vehicle combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a 55.8-kWh battery pack, providing a pure electric driving range of up to 430 kilometers. With both the battery fully charged and the fuel tank full, the SUV can travel up to 1,704 kilometers, which Xpeng said makes…

Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) said on Wednesday that pre-orders have opened for the new Maextro S800 and Aito M9 models, both equipped with the company’s latest LiDAR technology developed under its Qiankun automotive solutions business. At a HIMA event, Richard Yu said the Maextro S800 and Aito M9 start at 728,000 yuan ($105,310) and 479,800 yuan respectively for versions equipped with Huawei’s new 896-channel LiDAR system. Entry-level variants fitted with 192-channel LiDAR are also available, starting at 708,000 yuan for the Maextro S800 and 469,800 yuan for the M9. Huawei described the 896-channel sensor as the highest-specification LiDAR…

Taiwan’s government has accelerated the transition to cleaner transport by offering financial incentives to replace older combustion-engine vehicles with electric alternatives, targeting one of the island’s largest sources of urban pollution. Since launching its vehicle replacement program in 2022, authorities have facilitated the scrapping and replacement of 124,798 aging vehicles, according to the Ministry of Environment. The initiative focuses particularly on motorcycles and scooters, which outnumber cars by roughly two to one and dominate daily transportation. By the end of 2025, the program had delivered an estimated cumulative reduction of 529,212 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, local media…

Chinese electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft developer Autoflight has unveiled a new eVTOL aircraft capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,500 kilograms, positioning the model at the upper end of the emerging electric aviation market. The aircraft, named Matrix, has been presented as a five-tonne-class eVTOL and has completed a public demonstration flight involving a full transition from vertical take-off to wing-borne cruise flight and back to vertical landing. Autoflight said this marks the first time an eVTOL of this size has publicly demonstrated such a flight profile. See also: Aerofugia Raises Nearly $140 Million to Speed eVTOL…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor has set a sales target of 1.05 million vehicles for 2026, according to an internal memo circulated this week by its chief operating officer, as the company sharpens its focus on profitability, brand reputation and organisational stability. In the memo dated February 5, Xu Jun outlined a three-pronged strategy aimed at supporting the ambitious goal, beginning with tighter, efficiency-driven operations. Xu said the company would prioritise closer alignment between production and sales, inventory reduction and margin improvement to underpin sustainable growth. See also: Leapmotor January Deliveries Rise 27% Year on Year to 32,059 Vehicles, Slide…

Aito, the automotive brand jointly developed by Huawei and Seres Group, has filed the M6 as its latest sport utility vehicle, adding a new model to its fast-growing premium new energy vehicle lineup. The Aito M6 appeared in the latest model catalogue released on Friday by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), marking the final major regulatory step before sales approval. Public feedback on the filing can be submitted between Feb. 7 and Feb. 13. The five-seat M6 spans four pages in the catalogue and includes four variants, comprising two battery-electric vehicle (BEV) versions and two extended-range electric…

Li Auto on Friday unveiled an updated version of its flagship L9 sport utility vehicle, positioning the model as an “embodied intelligence” SUV as the Chinese automaker looks to refresh its top-end offering amid intensifying competition. The next-generation Li L9 is scheduled for an official market launch in the second quarter. Founder, chairman and chief executive Li Xiang said the update goes beyond incremental specification changes, aiming instead to deliver a more user-centric vehicle experience. “The evolution of the Li L9 is not just about hardware upgrades, but about creating a truly living vehicle centred on users,” Li said at…

Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft maker Aerofugia said on Feb. 2 it has raised nearly 1 billion yuan ($140 million) in a new funding round, the largest single investment in China’s low-altitude economy so far this year, as the company accelerates its push toward commercial deployment. The latest financing, Aerofugia’s second independent market-based raise in three months, highlights growing investor confidence in the sector and in the company’s development trajectory. The Chengdu-based firm said the capital will be used to support final airworthiness certification of its AE200 series aircraft, expand production capacity at its global headquarters, and further…

Li Auto has begun rolling out its OTA 8.2 software update, introducing upgrades across driver assistance, smart cockpit and smart electric systems, as the Chinese automaker continues to refine the comfort and practicality of its vehicles in urban driving environments. The update, which started on Jan. 21, enhances Li Auto’s VLA driver assistance model through behavioral reinforcement learning. By integrating millisecond-level steering and pedal inputs, the system improves both lateral and longitudinal control, delivering smoother car-following and more natural driving behavior in congested city conditions such as traffic jams, mixed traffic and unprotected turns, the company said. See also: Li…