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Automotive industry

Automotive industry
News about the global automotive industry with a focus on developments that matter most for the China market.
Visitors inspect a BYD Seagull at this year's Auto China in Beijing. Electric vehicles accounted for a record 66.7 per cent of new car sales in mainland China during the first week of June. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

EVs capture two-thirds of China’s car market in record-breaking week

Despite subsidy cuts, electric vehicles reached a new sales milestone in mainland China as petrol-powered rivals continued to lose ground.

China trade

China’s BYD challenges iconic auto giants as hybrid demand surges in Germany

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Europe’s bet on Chinese EV joint ventures may be solving yesterday’s problem

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD powers past Geely as oil shock charges up global EV demand

Strong overseas demand for battery-powered cars helped BYD recover from a first-quarter setback and retake pole position.

Shanzhen-based EV assembler BYD lost its title as mainland China’s largest carmaker in the first quarter of 2026, but has since rebounded as rising oil prices powered demand for electric vehicles. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Opinion | EU threat of trade war against China is a strategic farce

The EU is mistaken in believing it still has economic leverage. A trade war will not save an economy in decline.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | China’s EV giants are breathing new life into Europe’s ailing car industry

From Chery in Britain to SAIC in Spain, Chinese carmakers are investing in new plants and revitalising old ones as they localise production.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Why foreign marques are struggling to keep pace with Chinese EV demand

Domestic brands surge on fresh incentives and better batteries, while foreign carmakers fail to sustain their earlier market share.

Chinese EVs recovered firmly in May, with Zeekr breaking its monthly delivery record. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

‘Eye-catching’ numbers show efforts paying off amid growing brand recognition abroad and tepid sales at home, analysts say.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s China sales surge to 2026 high, but rivals crowd the rear-view mirror

Tesla’s China sales rebounded in May on financing incentives and stronger demand, but local competitors are gaining momentum.

China-EU relations

China’s SAIC plans to build first EU car plant in Spain’s Galicia

Galicia’s leader Alfonso Rueda said his administration ‌had given the project an initial investment envisaged at around US$232 million.

Alfonso Rueda, president of the regional government of Galicia. Photo: EPA
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers recover in May but competition fierce amid overcapacity woes

Consumer willingness to embrace new tech, along with cash subsidies from local governments, gave the EV sector a much-needed boost.

A man opens the door of a Zeekr X7 electric vehicle at a showroom in Beijing on February 3, 2026. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Premium plan: China’s EV makers pin hopes on higher-margin models

New models from carmakers including Nio and Seres also challenge Tesla’s bestselling Model Y and cars from luxury German marques.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s BYD aims for zero accidents with ‘God’s Eye’, vows crash cost coverage

EV giant pushes affordable autonomy with its system, aiming to make self-driving safer and accessible to mass-market consumers.

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Banking & finance

Millions of Chinese consumers ditch their credit cards amid weak retail spending

Banks report there are 120 million fewer active credit cards in China with 687 million customer accounts, a dramatic drop from 2022’s peak.

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Chinese consumers are spending cautiously with 120 million fewer active credit cards users than a peak in 2022 as the nation experiences a slow economy. Photo: AFP
Made in China 2025

China’s machinery giant XCMG eyes bigger scoop of global sales

State-owned firm banks on intelligent manufacturing, green technology, product integration and digital services to boost sales overseas.

A giant XCMG truck dwarfs other vehicles at the company’s customer festival in Xuzhou, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on May 19. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Xiaomi is pouring billions into AI to future-proof its hardware empire

Beijing-based firm bets on frontier tech, from topping AI benchmarks to designing chips that rival Apple, to secure its long-term survival.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Zelos looks to Middle East, Southeast Asia to turn a profit on robovan fleet

China’s robovan industry is in a period of consolidation, marked by the merger of Zelos with Cainiao’s autonomous-vehicle unit in January.

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Robotics

Inside the Chinese auto-glass maker whose chairman sat beside Elon Musk

Fuyao Glass, which holds 35 per cent of the world market for automotive glass, banks on automation to cement its position.

Intelligent equipment manufactures automotive glass at the Fuyao Glass production facility in Hefei, Anhui province, on May 19, 2026. Photo: Ann Cao
Electric & new energy vehicles

Does Xpeng’s 33% cut on 6-seat SUV portend a new price war?

The slashed price on the GX model ‘surprised the market’ in a segment carmakers have high hopes for amid slumping EV sales.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s FSD launch in China heats up competition with domestic EV makers

The long-awaited roll-out received approval from regulators a week after Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China as part of a US delegation.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Chery plans for 1m EVs sold abroad amid global energy crisis

Anhui-based carmaker anticipates 27 per cent increase in foreign deliveries in 2026 as battery ranges improve and oil prices rise.

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Employees work on a factory production line for Chery’s electric vehicles in China’s Anhui province. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Nio slams EV price wars as costs surge, defying cuts by rival Li Auto

Nio and Li Auto take different approach to pricing new models, with one executive praising ‘reasonable’ carmakers that raise prices.

A Li Auto L9 is displayed at the auto show in Beijing on April 24. Photo: AFP
Energy

Video | Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol motorbike ban

The proposed ban has already been scaled back, as riders demand better infrastructure and government support before making the switch to electric.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese firm Xpeng builds driverless cabs, challenging Tesla’s FSD software

The EV maker has embarked on mass production of robotaxis using its own chips and plans to trial the tech before the end of the year.

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China manufacturing

China’s old ‘Motown’, Shanghai bets on robotaxis, better batteries to bump GDP

City authorities point at the need to lure foreign firms, while emerging sectors are expected to generate a trillion-yuan boost over the next 5 years.

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Pony AI’s robotaxi is seen on a Shanghai road. Photo: Weibo
Electric & new energy vehicles

Global growth of pure EVs faces hurdles in insurance, charging gaps: BNP Paribas

Charging limits and rising insurance costs could slow the global march of pure electric vehicles, BNP Paribas tells Hong Kong conference.

New electric vehicles are set to be loaded at Shanghai Port on May 9. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Peugeot, Jeep take on Chinese rivals with new models using local EV tech

Peugeot and Jeep are following in the footsteps of Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq to regain lost ground in mainland China.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers hunt for idled plants in Europe as they expand global influence

BYD, the world’s largest electric car maker, says it is in talks with Stellantis about using European marques’ idled assembly facilities.

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