September 02, 2024
Zeekr, one of Geely’s Chinese subsidiaries, has launched its flagship electric SUV. The Zeekr 7X inherits the 007 sedan’s and the Smart #5’s optimized PMA2+ platform, which gives it an extremely high range of 780 km and ultra-quick charging times. It has already launched in China, with international markets following soon. The Zeekr 7X is […]
September 02, 2024
Tesla plans to start mass production of a seven-seat version of the Model Y at its Giga Shanghai plant in October, with the updated electric SUV set for launch in the Chinese markets. However, according to the National Business Daily, the new Model Y variant has already completed homologation for the European Union market. Officially, […]
September 02, 2024
What had become apparent over the past few days is now official: BYD is taking sales in Germany into its own hands. To this end, the Chinese car manufacturer founded BYD Automotive GmbH and took over Hedin Electric Mobility, the Hedin subsidiary previously responsible for BYD imports. There were increasing signs that BYD was dissatisfied […]
August 29, 2024
Chery Automobile, China’s fifth-biggest automaker with over 1.88 million vehicles sold worldwide last year, says it will take on Belgium from the end of Q4 2024 with two models: the Omoda 5 EV and the Jaecoo 7 PHEV. Officially, three dealers, one in Genk, one in Liège, and one in Luxemburg, were already presented, but […]
August 28, 2024
In China, the price war among EV makers is raging further with yet another ‘Tesla 3 killer’ launched; Xpeng’s Mona sedan M03 at half the latter’s price: 119,800 yuan (€15,058) euros up to 155,800 yuan (€19,584). A Tesla Model 3 is offered in China in three variants, from 231,900 (€29,149) to 335,900 yuan (€42,222). So […]
August 28, 2024
Xpeng is looking for a European production site because of the additional EU tariffs on imported electric cars from China. In addition, the Chinese start-up is intensifying its ongoing cooperation with Volkswagen. Xpeng’s CEO, He Xiaopeng, told Bloomberg that the company is initially selecting a production site in the EU and planning to set up […]
August 27, 2024
SAIC Motor Corporation, the owner of the MG brand, which is currently the best-selling Chinese EV in Europe, is hatching a plan to export its popular MG4 model straight out of its Thai manufacturing plant to sail around the EU’s maximum 46.3% (36.3 % + 10%) import tax. According to Thai media, the factory was […]
August 27, 2024
Canada will implement a 100% surtax on all EVs made and imported from China from 1 October. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell vehicles are also included on the list. The list is long and includes any vehicle with at least an “electric motor as the motor for propulsion,” whether a bus, a truck, or a […]
August 26, 2024
Neta has officially launched the S Kombi, an all-electric estate made in China. It is offered in both range extender and full-electric versions. In the wake of the launch, the company announced that the 800-volt version would be built around the platform by battery manufacturer CATL. Despite its practical estate style, Neta has no plans […]
August 26, 2024
Chinese Build Your Dreams (BYD) jumped over Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan in Q2 2024 to the seventh spot in the top ten of the world’s biggest car manufacturers. According to data from the automotive industry portal Marklines, it sold 980,000 units, a 40% growth, partly thanks to overseas sales. It tripled this year to […]
August 23, 2024
China’s automotive sector overcapacity is the root of its current trade tensions with the West. Though Beijing denies beefing up its production stock, a new German study has sized the capacity, highlighting the souped-up growth. And contrary to what one might think, the leading brand in production isn’t BYD. China’s automotive industry has rapidly expanded […]
August 22, 2024
Zeekr, Geely’s luxury electric car spin-off, has announced it will introduce a hybrid flagship to its line-up starting next year. Zeekr CEO Andy An confirmed the shift to combustion engine technology. It’s a watershed decision as the brand’s focus has been exclusively on battery electric vehicles until now. The trend of hybridized drivelines gaining more […]
August 22, 2024
The EU Commission has presented the draft for the final additional tariffs on imported electric vehicles from China. The logic of the planned tariffs remains basically the same, but the respective tariff rates have been lowered slightly, and regulation is now also known for Tesla. Meanwhile, China has already reacted by opening an inquiry on […]
August 21, 2024
Chinese luxury car brand Denza, a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, has officially launched its new Z9 GT. The flagship model, which takes the shape of a shooting brake, has up to 1,000 hp and 630 km of range. This new model will be critical in Denza’s international sales, as it should come to […]
August 21, 2024
Polestar’s SUV coupé 4 has finally hit the European streets. After presenting the model in the Spring of 2023, followed by the launch of production back in November and the sales launch in China, European customers are now getting their hands on Polestar’s latest model, expanding the model range up to three choices. 2024 didn’t […]
August 21, 2024
In China, the first L60 production models of NIO’s Onvo sub-brand have rolled off the assembly lines at NIO’s F2 plant in NeoPark, Hefei. The Onvo L60 will be a mid-sized all-electric SUV in an ‘affordable’ model line, positioned as an alternative to the premium NIO brand, also targeted at Europe. Prices start at 219,900 […]
August 20, 2024
The Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng Motor launched a new low-cost EV in Europe. Starting at around €23,000, the Dongfeng Nammi Box EV is one of the cheapest EVs in Europe at the moment. Dongfeng is one of China’s oldest and largest automakers. It was the second state-owned auto brand established following FAW. Dongfeng builds Nissan […]
August 20, 2024
BYD has rolled out an upgraded version of the Song Plus EV in China, known in Europe as the SUV version of the Seal, the Seal U. The starting price in China for the basic version with a 520 km range (CLTC) remains 149,800 yuan (18,922 euros). The cost of the top version with a […]
August 19, 2024
According to data from South Korean market watcher SNE Research, hydrogen car sales are dropping fast worldwide. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) experienced a marked decline in the first half of 2024, with sales falling by 34.1% compared to last year. The challenges for the FCEV industry keep growing. SNE Research says only 5,621 hydrogen […]
August 14, 2024
Mazda’s EZ-6, considered an electric successor to the six saloon, will finally go on sale as a global model. The Changan-developed model was initially only meant for the Chinese market, but Mazda is also looking to expand its electric offering in Europe. The Japanese manufacturer has not fully developed the Mazda EZ-6. Mazda solicited the […]
August 14, 2024
The struggling Chinese premium electric car brand HiPhi has filed for bankruptcy. Due to a lack of sales, it is unable to pay suppliers. Human Horizons, the brand’s manufacturer, has filed for restructuring in Yangcheng, China. Founded in 2018 with grand ambitions, HiPhi wanted to push the EV envelope with two models with more than […]
August 13, 2024
The Italian government under Giorgia Meloni has been looking for a new local car manufacturer to boost the Italian auto industry. According to Reuters, the government has entered “advanced talks” with the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng to build a new auto plant in the country. The deal would also include support from the government and other […]
August 13, 2024
The international insurance company Allianz Trade warns that the fall in prices of critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, is hindering the global energy transition. According to the credit insurer, price drops create uncertainty and deter investors in sustainable energy. The postponement of investments is bad news for Europe. Brussels wants to catch […]
August 13, 2024
The new Smart #5 is the brand’s largest model yet and its most powerful, putting out more than 450 kW/600 hp in its most potent form. Smart is 50/50% owned by Mercedes and Geely and builds its cars in Xi’an, central China. It has its world premiere in Australia at the end of August and […]
August 12, 2024
Sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday that Mitsubishi was in talks to join the Nissan-Honda alliance to play catch-up with foreign rivals in developing electric vehicles and advanced technology for next-generation vehicles. The deal has now been officialized. Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn says this is a ‘disguised take-over’ by Honda. The three […]
August 12, 2024
China is challenging at the World Trade Organization (WTO) the provisional European import tariffs on Chinese electric cars decided by the European Commission in July. In doing so, Beijing calls on the EU to “immediately stop the bad practices.” It denounces a “serious” violation of WTO rules and argues that the duties compromise the fight […]
August 12, 2024
After debuting at the Beijing Auto Show in April and opening pre-orders back in June, sales and deliveries of Huawei’s Stelato S9, built in collaboration with BAIC, have now officially started. The S9 features advanced autonomous driving tech and an 800+ km range and targets German luxury EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQS and BMW i7. […]
August 09, 2024
BYD’s mid-range electric sedan, the Seal, gets a facelift for the 2025 model year and was presented on Thursday. The BEV is offered in China in four variants with a starting price of 175,800 yuan (€22,417), up to 239,800 yuan (€30,475). Like the Sea Lion 07, the 2025 Seal will be built on BYD’s upgraded […]
August 06, 2024
Geely has launched the second electric model in its new Galaxy lineup, following the E8 electric saloon. The Galaxy E5 is a mid-size electric SUV with an affordable price tag, modern tech on board, and the company’s newest Aegis Short Blade Battery, which promises a 1 million-km lifespan. The Geely Galaxy E5 challenges other China-built […]
August 06, 2024
According to CNEVPost, the German premium car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has been given the go-ahead to test Level 4 (L4) autonomous vehicles in Beijing, following approval for L3 testing in the Chinese capital city late last year. To our knowledge Mercedes is one of the few manufacturers to have obtained the permission to use Level 3 […]
August 06, 2024
Chinese carmaker Geely has invested another 120 million pounds, or almost 140 million euros, in LEVC, the British manufacturer of London’s famous black cabs. The investment is the latest signal of growing Chinese involvement in the British EV market. The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which, in addition to Volvo, owns car brands such as Zeekr, […]
August 06, 2024
Sources told the press agency Reuters that the US is considering banning software for connected and autonomous driving cars developed in a ‘foreign entity of concern’ like China as a matter of ‘national security’. The new rule envisioned would target Level 3 automation and above and Chinese-developed advanced wireless communications. That would mean Chinese cars […]
August 05, 2024
Several media outlets speculate about a possible Chinese takeover of the Audi factory in Forest (southwestern part of Brussels). The factory’s future as an Audi outlet looks dark, and Chinese companies looking for a solution to the import tariff war started by the EU could bring a solution. Currently, the Brussels factory is idle because […]
August 01, 2024
American ride-hailing giant Uber has cut a deal with Chinese carmaker BYD to offer 100,000 electric cars at lower vehicle pricing and financing to Uber drivers in Europe and Latin America in the following years. The US is omitted as President Biden raises tariffs on Chinese EVs to 102.5% this year, but the Middle East, […]
August 01, 2024
In the second quarter of 2024, BMW Group saw its earnings drop a bit due to a weak Chinese market and the investment costs for the ‘Neue Klasse’. On the other hand, the Munich-based carmaker was successful in selling more EVs. BMW is not the only one struggling with a demand slowdown in China. The […]
July 31, 2024
Number one car manufacturer Toyota’s global sales fell over 5% last month and decreased by 4.7% for the first half of 2024. This is mainly due to the decline in sales in Japan (-32%) and in China (-10.8%). The good figures for the U.S. and Europe couldn’t compensate for the ‘Asian’ loss in sales. Worldwide, […]
July 31, 2024
Chinese carmakers registered a record share of 11% of the EU’s plus UK’s electric car market in June, as they rushed to import as many EVs as possible before July 5th, the date the European Commission fixed for preliminary import taxes on Chinese cars. The figures come from market analysis by the German automotive data […]
July 31, 2024
There were already Huawei and Xiaomi, but now a third Chinese smartphone manufacturer is planning to enter the electric car business. Meizu, owned by the Geely Group, wants to launch its first electric car this year, and it will be based on the Geely SEA platform. At the ChinaJoy 2024 trade fair, Liao Qinghong, Meizu’s […]
July 30, 2024
Until now, China’s biggest EV car manufacturer, BYD, was best known for its low-cost electric cars. That hasn’t stopped the Chinese EV maker from taking on new market segments. Its latest: luxury electric supercars. BYD’s first electric supercar, the Yangwang U9, has entered production ahead of deliveries later this summer. Yangwang Yangwang was launched in […]
July 30, 2024
Chinese premium carmaker NIO has officially rounded the cape of 2,500 Power Swap Stations (PPS), of which 2,454 are located in China and 51 in Europe. Besides some local minor projects from Californian start-up Ample, NIO is the only one offering swappable batteries in Europe. But currently, only for its own models. However, NIO has […]
July 29, 2024
Turkey wants to become a significant player in producing batteries for electric cars. That is what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced. To this end, it has launched an ambitious 15 billion-dollar public subsidy program. “We have made battery production a priority for our auto industry to maintain its competitiveness,” said Erdogan, who wants to […]
July 29, 2024
In the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, Mercedes-Benz Group sold 496,700 vehicles, 3.7% less than in the same period last year. The company blames decreased demand for electric vehicles and reduced sales in China for this decrease. Mercedes’s revenue decreased from €38.24 billion to €36.74 billion (-3.9%) in the same period. Earnings before Interest and […]
July 25, 2024
Farizon, Geely’s commercial vehicle brand, has unveiled its ‘Black Tortoise Battery’. It’s a battery pack specially designed for light commercial vehicles, with a low pack height and, more importantly, a long-lasting service life of ten years, or the equivalent of 800,000 km. This new battery pack will be introduced to Farizon’s V7E and V6E models, […]
July 24, 2024
Chinese lithium-ion battery cell maker Farasis Energy, which supplies Geely, Mercedes-Benz, and Turkish Togg, among others, claims to have successfully achieved durable NMC cells for a million-mile (1.6 million km) battery in lab testing. Battery packs using these cells can last a million miles over 15 years while retaining over 70% of their capacity, even […]
July 24, 2024
German carmaker Volkswagen and Chinese partner Xpeng are broadening their collaboration on an electric vehicle platform for China. Their development will be used on specific Chinese market cars as well as models based on VW’s MEB platform. In April, both partners announced that Xpeng’s in-house developed E/E Architecture (integrated software and hardware) would be integrated […]
July 22, 2024
Smart isn’t abandoning its city car roots. After concentrating on larger electric SUVs with the recent #1, #3, and #5, the Chinese-German company is considering a successor for the ForTwo and maybe even the roadster. In an interview, Smart Europe CEO says the brand is “working on it.” That being said, Smart isn’t willing to […]
July 22, 2024
Chinese media report that Lynk & Co’s fully electric Z20 crossover is being road-tested without camouflage in China before it arrives in Europe in late 2024. It shares the same SEA2 platform as the Zeekr X, the Volvo EX30, and Smart #1 & 3, but with larger overhangs that would be somewhat longer than the […]
July 17, 2024
Two sources with knowledge of the matter said the European Commission has signaled to Volkswagen and BMW that it may consider lowering tariffs on their imports of China-made EVs. The sources said the Commission is willing to classify the two automakers as so-called cooperating companies, making them eligible for a 20.8 % additional tariff on […]
July 17, 2024
MG Motor, a brand of the Chinese manufacturer SAIC, is considering Galicia in northwest Spain as the location for its planned European factory. The decision is expected by the end of September, but other locations are also being considered. As the Spanish portal Europa Press reports, citing sources within the company, the region of Galicia […]
July 12, 2024
The new MG Cyber GTS charged up the show at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thursday. MG unveiled its new two-door electric sports car, a hardtop variant of its Cyberster EV. In China, the new EV is already being compared to Porsche’s iconic 911. After the Goodwood Festival of Speed officially kicked off […]
July 10, 2024
After signing up Fiat & Alfa Romeo dealer Pagnotta in Maasmechelen (Limburg), Chinese carmaker Chery Automotive gets a second foothold for its Omoda and Jaecoo brands in Liège with L’Universelle, a dealership for Hyundai, Mazda, Suzuki, and Chinese MG. L’Universelle also offers multi-brand second-hand cars. Chery Automotive was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in […]
July 05, 2024
The EU Commission has imposed the announced special tariffs on imported electric vehicles from China, effective 5 July, but these are still provisional. Talks with the Chinese government are still ongoing. There have also been slight changes to the tariff rates for individual manufacturers. With the provisional special duties that have now been imposed, the […]
July 05, 2024
French mining group Eramet and its Chinese partner Tsingshan have inaugurated a major lithium mine site in Argentina. Lithium is the white metal essential for the energy transition, particularly in most automotive electric batteries. The plant in Centenario in Salta’s northwestern province represents an 870 million-dollar investment. Eramet, of which the French state is one […]
July 01, 2024
In 2030, one in three cars sold worldwide will be Chinese, compared to one in five today. Chinese brands are well underway to catch 33% of the global car market by then, according to a study by financial advisory and international consulting firm AlixPartners. “The 21st edition of the AlixPartners Global Automotive Outlook finds Chinese […]
June 28, 2024
It’s official now: due to the 100% import taxes the Biden Administration imposes on EVs built in China, America will have to wait for the Volvo EX30 ‘made in Belgium’ to arrive. And that will be no sooner than 2025. People who had already paid a $500 deposit to make a reservation got a message […]
June 27, 2024
According to the business newspaper De Tijd, Chinese electric truck builder Windrose is to establish its European headquarters and first workshop in Zele. Zele is considered the gateway for constructing an assembly plant for e-trucks in Antwerp port, potentially creating 3,000 jobs. An “operational base” consisting of an office and a workshop will be set […]
June 26, 2024
Chinese electric vehicle brand Voyah, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor for luxury EVs, has announced plans to open its first showroom in Belgium by the end of the year. The new Chinese brand is imported into the Benelux region by the Gomes Group, a successful Mercedes dealer group from the Netherlands. Voyah’s entry into Europe […]
June 25, 2024
During a trip to China, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck made headway in the trade dispute over additional tariffs for EVs in the EU. The Chinese government and the EU want to start intensive negotiations, fuelling hopes of a short-term solution. Of course, it’s not a coincidence that a German Minister has made the opening, […]
June 24, 2024
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington, D.C., Chinese car manufacturers received some €216 billion in government aid to produce electric cars. The American think tank’s researcher Scott Kennedy says more than half of it was given as a turnover tax exemption. Other subsidies include premiums for new electric […]
June 21, 2024
“Unprecedented” and “shocking”. The Chinese automotive players involved in the EU survey into state subsidies are stirred by the resulting tariff proposal. They have joined forces and called upon Beijing to impose retaliating import duties, which could hurt the premium brand’s sales performance in the region. Chinese manufacturers are urging their government to implement punitive […]
