Author: Victor Choi

Nio reported a sharp year-on-year increase in vehicle deliveries in January, supported by strong demand for its core brand and flagship ES8 sport utility vehicle, even as sales declined significantly from the previous month amid seasonal and policy-related pressures. The Chinese electric vehicle maker delivered 27,182 vehicles in January, representing a 96.08% increase from a year earlier but a 43.53% decline from December, according to company data. The drop reflects typical seasonal weakness at the start of the year following a year-end sales peak in China’s auto market. The January performance also came as China began scaling back supportive policies…

Chery Group’s new energy vehicle brand iCAUR will hold the global launch of its V27 mid-to-large hybrid sport utility vehicle in Dubai on Feb. 8, marking the brand’s official entry into the Middle East market, the company said. The iCAUR V27 is built around a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) powertrain designed to deliver more than 150 kilometres of pure electric driving and a combined range exceeding 1,000 kilometres. The model is positioned to cover urban commuting as well as long-distance travel, Chery said, as competition intensifies among automakers offering electrified SUVs in global markets. See also: Chery’s LEPAS Brand Unveils…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng has begun pre-sales in China for the battery-electric version of its X9 multi-purpose vehicle, expanding the model range two months after introducing an extended-range electric variant. The company said on Thursday that it is accepting consumer reservations for the 2026 seven-seat X9 BEV, offering five variants: 665 Max, 650 Ultra SE, 650 Ultra, 750 Ultra and 710 AWD Ultra. Xpeng has not disclosed pre-sale pricing but said customers can place an order with a 2,000 yuan ($290) deposit, which will be applied as a 7,000 yuan discount toward the final purchase price. See also: Xpeng…

Nio has taken part in a large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) pilot in eastern China, using its battery swap stations to supply electricity back to the power grid as part of efforts to integrate electric vehicles into energy management systems. Six of Nio’s fourth-generation battery swap stations were involved in the trial on Jan. 22 in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu, according to a social media post by GCL Energy Technology. The stations were upgraded with V2G capabilities by GCL and Nio ahead of the test. See also: Nio and CATL Sign Five-Year Deal to Deepen Battery and Swap Network Cooperation During…

China’s electric vehicle industry is entering a period of heightened strain as rising raw material and semiconductor costs converge with the withdrawal of policy support and the reintroduction of purchase taxes, according to a recent research note from UBS. UBS said early 2026 represents a critical inflection point for the sector, with manufacturers simultaneously absorbing the impact of commodity price inflation, surging memory chip costs and a 5% EV purchase tax that took effect in January. The research team led by Paul Gong estimates that production costs for a typical mid-sized smart EV could rise by between 4,000 yuan ($575)…

Yijing Auto, a premium intelligent vehicle brand jointly developed by Dongfeng Motor and Huawei, has released initial teaser images of its first production model, a large six-seat SUV, the company said. The images, published on the brand’s official WeChat account on Jan. 23, show a camouflaged vehicle undergoing cold-weather performance testing. The tests follow the rollout of the first tooling prototype on Dec. 22, 2025, indicating that the programme has moved into a vehicle validation phase. See also: Dongfeng–Huawei Brand Yijing Rolls Out First Pre-Production SUV Prototype The vehicle is positioned as a flagship family-oriented SUV and will feature Huawei’s…

Chery’s new energy vehicle brand LEPAS has introduced its LEX vehicle platform, targeting global markets with a modular architecture designed to support pure electric, hybrid and multiple powertrain configurations. The LEX Platform incorporates Chery’s EEA 5.1 electronic and electrical architecture, featuring a dual-zone, dual-center integrated layout. The system enables coordinated operation across intelligent cockpit functions, advanced driver assistance systems and powertrain controls, while supporting hardware standardisation, over-the-air software updates and cross-domain data sharing. See also: Chery to Acquire Nissan’s South Africa Plant as Overseas Localization Push Advances Chery said the platform has been engineered to meet diverse regional requirements. Battery-electric…

Tesla has reinstated insurance subsidies for its Model 3 electric sedan in China, the company said, as it steps up incentives in the world’s largest electric vehicle market following the introduction of ultra-long-term, low-interest financing earlier this month. Chinese customers who purchase eligible Model 3 variants by Feb. 28 will receive an insurance subsidy of 8,000 yuan ($1,150), according to a statement posted on Weibo by Tesla. The offer applies to the rear-wheel-drive, long-range rear-wheel-drive and long-range all-wheel-drive versions, which are priced from 235,500 yuan, 259,500 yuan and 285,500 yuan, respectively. The performance all-wheel-drive variant, priced from 339,500 yuan, is…

Sales of new energy heavy-duty trucks in China surged to a record level in December 2025, pushing market penetration above 50% for the first time, as buyers rushed to lock in incentives ahead of policy changes, industry data showed. China sold 45,300 new energy heavy-duty trucks domestically in December, accounting for 53.89% of total heavy-duty truck sales of 84,000 units, according to data from CV World. The penetration rate jumped more than 17 percentage points from November’s 36.45%, marking a historic milestone for electrification in the segment. December sales of new energy heavy-duty trucks rose 198% year on year and…

Geely Auto said it plans to begin production of solid-state battery packs later this year, marking a further step by Chinese automakers toward next-generation battery technologies as competition intensifies in the electric vehicle market. The company disclosed the target on Thursday during Geely Holding Group’s five-year strategy briefing, saying it will complete production of its first in-house developed all-solid-state battery pack in 2026 and proceed with vehicle installation and verification. See also: Geely Holding Targets 6.5 Million Global Vehicle Sales by 2030, With NEVs at 75% Geely Auto also said it will roll out a newly developed lithium manganese iron…

Onvo, the mass-market electric vehicle sub-brand of Nio Inc, has launched a native application for Huawei’s HarmonyOS, extending its digital services to one of the world’s largest mobile operating systems. Onvo president Shen Fei said in a post on Weibo on Wednesday that the HarmonyOS version of the Onvo app is now available through Huawei’s App Gallery, adding that the release responds directly to user demand on Huawei devices. See also: Nio’s Onvo Launches Lunar New Year Special Edition of L60 SUV The move follows earlier steps by Nio to adapt its main-brand mobile application for HarmonyOS. That app has…

Li Auto has begun offering Chinese consumers financing plans of up to seven years with reduced interest rates across its model range, joining rivals Tesla and Xiaomi in using credit incentives to stimulate demand. Li Auto said on Tuesday that the programme applies to its full lineup, including the Li L6, Li L7, Li L8, and Li L9 extended-range sport utility vehicles, as well as the all-electric Li i6 and Li i8 SUVs and the Li Mega multi-purpose vehicle. Buyers are required to make a minimum down payment of 15%. Under the offer, minimum monthly payments start from 2,578 yuan…