Advertisement
Advertisement
-
TOPIC

Automotive industry

Automotive industry
News about the global automotive industry with a focus on developments that matter most for the China market.
A simulated environment created by WeRide’s world model Genesis. Photo: Handout
Autonomous vehicles

Breakthrough or hype? How WeRide aims to edge rivals in crowded robotaxi field

WeRide says its world model has slashed costs to support global expansion, but investors question if it can deliver a lasting advantage.

Germany

BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory, as China competition heats up

videocam
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Geely bets on longer-range, faster-charging tech over fresh EV price war

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong autonomous vehicle tests move up a gear with longer routes

Routes on the North Lantau trial will cover up to 43.2km, with more vehicles allowed to operate at the same time.

The route extensions cover Tung Chung and Sunny Bay on Lantau Island. Photo: Nora Tam
China-EU relations

Opinion | Germany’s outreach to China signals a reckoning, rather than a shift

The German chancellor realises that while China poses a long-term economic challenge, the United States is currently the more disruptive partner.

videocam
6
Electric & new energy vehicles

Low-cost models dominate China EV sales, surpassing Tesla and BYD

Geely’s and Wuling’s sub-100,000 yuan battery EVs ranked first and second in mainland China last year, each selling over 400,000 units.

4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV insurers move towards profitability on higher premiums, AI adoption

Chinese insurers are turning to AI as the technology cuts labour costs and enhances pricing accuracy.

Mainland insurers posted a combined loss of 5.7 billion yuan from underwriting EV policies in 2024. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Speed bump ahead: rising battery costs nudge Chinese drivers towards hybrids

Higher lithium prices and the end of incentives are reshaping China’s EV market, with hybrids emerging as a more practical option for many.

6
Gold in Hong Kong

Copper, lithium unlikely to match gold’s gains as output rises: Goldman

Record gold prices have lifted sentiment across raw materials, but analysts expect differentiated returns as producers ratchet up output.

Gold has surged to record highs, while a range of other commodities have also climbed, as governments and investors seek the perceived “insurance” value of hard assets. Photo: dpa
Luxury cars

Andrea Zagato on the Capricorn 01, coachbuilder Zagato’s first hypercar

The project blends Italian design flair and German precision thanks to engineering firm Capricorn, known for McLaren, Porsche and Bugatti collabs.

The Capricorn 01 is Zagato’s first hypercar. It was created in partnership with the German engineering firm renowned for previous collabs with McLaren, Porsche and Bugatti. Photo: Handout
China-Latin America relations

Chinese steel hit with duties up to US$670 per tonne after Brazil dumping probe

Government anti-dumping investigation found Chinese imports were being sold at unfairly low prices, harming domestic producers.

videocam
US-China trade war

Has Trump ceded EV market to China with latest string of policy shifts?

Analysts say rolling back regulations pushes US further towards petrol cars, discourages EV innovation, and gives China competitive edge.

videocam
Artificial intelligence

Colour matters: how AI is changing car premiums and services in China

Car colour, driving habits and location influence insurance premiums, according to a digital solutions provider using ByteDance’s AI model.

Rush hour in Beijing. White vehicles are less likely to be involved in an accident, according to data from a digital solutions provider. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Ford plans US$30,000 budget EV line to take on Chinese rivals

Ford shrinks battery size while extending driving range in bid to launch the new EV by 2027 for the same price as a conventional petrol car.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has called Chinese competition an “existential threat”. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese cars now can’t be sold for less than it costs to make them

Regulator bans tactics that result in a net loss per vehicle after a 7 per cent drop in the average car price.

8
Americas and the Caribbean

Why China’s BYD and Geely are eyeing Mexico’s idle auto plants

With Mexico’s auto sector battered by tariffs, Chinese investment offers a lifeline that threatens to inflame tensions with Washington.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s efforts to control EV price war sees carmakers paying vendors quicker

Only a handful of the nearly 50 mainland China-based EV builders have been able to turn a profit amid the price wars.

An aerial drone photo taken on January 14, 2026, shows domestically produced vehicles for export at Yantai Port in east China’s Shandong Province. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV sales boom runs short on battery life

EV price wars are heating up again in China as the end of stimulus measures dampens domestic demand.

China-Latin America relations

China becomes Brazil’s biggest vehicle exporter in January, surpassing Argentina

The shift ends more than three decades of Argentine dominance, built on Mercosur rules and geographic proximity to Brazil’s car dealers.

videocam
Electric & new energy vehicles

Pony AI and Toyota roll out robotaxis in China’s autonomous drive push

Guangzhou-based Pony AI begins output of 1,000 autonomous cabs and targets a 3,000-unit fleet by the end of 2026 as it expands globally.

Pony AI is one of three robotaxi firms that have received approval from authorities to operate driverless cabs on designated roads in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio raises US$2.6 billion bet on battery swapping

Company touts 100 million swaps, but fast-charging batteries are eating into the technology’s speed advantage, analyst says.

Shanghai-based Nio is the only mainland carmaker that builds swap-ready EVs. Photo: Facebook/Nio
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla launches China AI training centre as self-driving race accelerates

US EV giant opens hub to advance its Full Self-Driving software, as Chinese carmakers step up their own L3 autonomous driving plans.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s turbocharged EV market hits a speed bump amid falling sales

After years at full throttle, China’s EV sector is slowing sharply, with sales sliding in January as tax breaks fade and costs rise.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla, Xiaomi vie for Chinese EV buyers with cheaper, longer loans

Low interest rates and seven-year payback periods replace price discounts while EV sales drop and materials costs rise.

A potential buyer discusses a Tesla YL with a staff member in a showroom in Beijing on February 3, 2026. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers’ shares skid as sales slide after tax incentive ends

Shares in Hong Kong-listed BYD, Xpeng, Li Auto and Nio plummet as tepid January sales underline pessimistic forecasts for the year.

BYD EVs proceed through assembly at a plant in Zhengzhou, in central China’s Henan Province, on November 14, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

How Tesla’s AI shift is prompting Chinese rivals to expand tech offerings

As Tesla diversifies into humanoid robots and self-driving cars, its Chinese competitors are also moving into flying cars, robots and chips.

videocam
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla reports first ever annual revenue decline as China’s EV giants zoom ahead

Tesla’s vehicle production fell 7 per cent year on year in 2025, as Elon Musk signals company will pivot to humanoid robots.

videocam
9
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement