Mercedes-Benz

High-end car sales sink in China as cheaper brands trump European marques

14 Dec 2025 - 3:22PM

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

8 Dec 2025 - 8:58PM

F1 title race blown open after Verstappen win, Norris, Piastri disqualification

McLaren boss apologises to drivers over car infringement; Red Bull driver’s win narrows gap in drivers’ championship with two rounds left.

23 Nov 2025 - 8:21PM

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Photo: AP

Semiconductors

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

15 Nov 2025 - 11:00AM

Artificial intelligence

Tesla, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz win China’s approval to deploy AI chatbots in cars

China has approved the first foreign carmakers to roll out in-vehicle AI assistants, opening the door for wider adoption.

13 Nov 2025 - 7:26PM

Accidents and personal safety

China’s car industry preps for next-level self-driving: Hesai

Use of advanced hardware will pick up next year, with some carmakers already adopting it to ‘pre-empt rivals’, CFO says.

13 Nov 2025 - 8:30AM

People pass the Hesai Group booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 9, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan escapes injury after crashing luxury SUV

Chan’s Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV collided into roadside railings in Deep Water Bay when he reportedly swerved to avoid a dog.

11 Nov 2025 - 7:48PMvideocam

US Grand Prix: Verstappen cruises to victory, cuts chunk out of F1 lead

Red Bull’s four-time world champion led from pole position to chequered flag to finish 7.959 seconds clear of title-chasing Lando Norris.

20 Oct 2025 - 6:16AM

Style Edit

Style Edit: How Tommy Hilfiger built an affordable luxury empire

The American designer discusses his brand’s global success, its ‘classic with a twist’ aesthetic, and a lifelong passion for motorsports.

17 Oct 2025 - 10:00AM

American designer Tommy Hilfiger is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his eponymous label. Photo: Handout

As China’s EV boom makes the EU anxious, is it too late to work together?

Decades after their first joint venture, EU carmakers fear losing their markets to China’s upstarts. Is it too late for them to work together?

15 Oct 2025 - 11:25AMvideocam

Trending in China

China camper van man leaves vehicle for strangers to use, creates viral ‘car relay’

‘Idealistic’ motorhome owner hands over keys after running checks on person taking wheel; act of kindness faces mixed reaction on social media.

10 Oct 2025 - 6:00PM

Why new EU steel tariffs to curb Chinese imports are giving carmakers a headache

Proposal to cut tariff-free quotas, double duties for imported steel triggers sell-off in Europe’s auto stocks, complaints from industry group.

9 Oct 2025 - 11:46PMvideocam

F1: Russell wins in Singapore, McLaren seal constructors’ title

George Russell holds off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri in fourth.

5 Oct 2025 - 10:10PM

Mercedes’ George Russell climbs out of his car after winning the Singapore Grand Prix. Photo: Reuters

International Property

The rise of branded residences and why Hong Kong is an outlier

Hong Kong remains relatively untouched by the branded residences model, largely because of the strength of established local developers.

5 Oct 2025 - 9:30AM

The Golden Oak Community, a residential development within the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Photo: Golden Oak Reality

Accidents and personal safety

Car trade in reverse as Germany’s deficit with China jumps 143%

Carmakers from the EU’s biggest economy suffer decline in Chinese market while China’s models boom in Europe.

25 Sep 2025 - 10:59AMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

Tesla upgrades EV voice assistant system with AI from DeepSeek and ByteDance

DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot and ByteDance’s Doubao AI model are expected to help Tesla better engage with EV buyers in China.

23 Aug 2025 - 7:23AM

Malaysia

Is Malaysia’s EV boom a cybersecurity risk?

A new report says the industry’s shift towards software-dependent vehicles is creating new vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.

30 Jul 2025 - 3:24PM

The MAS 7, Malaysian automotive firm Proton’s first electric vehicle, on display in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: Reuters

India

Electric avenue: Tesla unveils first India showroom

While few Indians will be able to afford one, the opening is less about selling and more about building Tesla’s brand, analyst says.

15 Jul 2025 - 12:06PMvideocam

Driver escapes injury after Mercedes flips over on Hong Kong’s Tsing Ma Bridge

Car overturns on Tsing Yi-bound carriageway of the bridge, a major route connecting the airport and Lantau Island to the urban centre.

13 Jul 2025 - 4:22PM

Russell plagued by rumours rival Verstappen is replacing him ahead of home GP

Victory at Silverstone for George Russell could open door for Red Bull rival to replace him at Mercedes.

3 Jul 2025 - 11:00PM

Mercedes’ British driver George Russell signs autographs at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Photo: AFP

China technology

From Cambridge to Suzhou: a Chinese AI start-up’s journey to unicorn status

For AI Speech, swapping Britain for bustling Suzhou was key to propelling the company to a billion-dollar valuation.

28 Jun 2025 - 5:00PMvideocam

Suzhou Industrial Park in eastern China’s Jiangsu province has made artificial intelligence a key focus of its development plan. Photo: Getty Images

English Premier League

5 bad teams more likely to taste success by 2028 than Manchester United

Red Devils CEO Omar Berrada claims the club’s men and women could both win their respective leagues in 2028 – no, seriously.

18 Jun 2025 - 12:30PM

India

Tesla’s India entry appears in doubt after minister questions intent

Heavy industries minister says Tesla is ‘more interested’ in establishing showrooms and ‘not interested’ in manufacturing in India.

6 Jun 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

Chinese lidar maker Hesai zeroes in on Southeast Asia for first overseas plant

Construction on the plant will start later this year and production in late 2026, CFO Andrew Fan says.

30 May 2025 - 7:35PM

Lidar sensor maker Hesai Group’s headquarters in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Highlights

70,000 vehicles recalled in China, Geely offers to buy Zeekr: 7 EV reads

From different battery tech pitted against each other to a drop in Tesla’s China deliveries, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

14 May 2025 - 3:00PM

The Zeekr 9X plug-in hybrid SUV is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show. Photo: Reuters

United States

On Balance | How Trump’s erratic tariffs could crash his US car production goals

While levies may prompt some foreign carmakers to start scaling up US-based production, many see a market plagued by uncertainty and risk.

12 May 2025 - 8:30PM