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☆ China's Zeekr hires ex-Lexus brand veteran to helm Europe operations -memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, April 14 (Reuters) - China's Zeekr has hired a former Lexus executive to helm its operations in Europe, according to a memo seen by Reuters, as the electric vehicle (EV) maker plans to sell into the region later this year. Spiros Fotinos, who spent 24 years with Toyota (7203.T) and led the brand management of Lexus globally, joined Zeekr in September as the chief executive officer of Zeekr Europe to oversee the brand's operation in the region, the memo showed. The Geely-owned (GEELY.UL) (0175.HK) brand said on Wednesday it planned to offer the SUV-styled Zeekr X and its Zeekr 001 EV sedan in western Europe. Zeekr previously said it would start delivering in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year. It aims to sell 140,000 Zeekr cars this year, doubling the figure in 2022, An added.

☆ Tesla to skip Shanghai Autoshow, organiser's plan shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, April 14 (Reuters) - Tesla will not occupy a booth at China's largest annual autoshow to be held next week in Shanghai, according to plans published by the event's organisers. The financial hub is set to host Auto Shanghai between April 18-27. It is Asia's largest auto show where brands from BYD (002594.SZ) to Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) are expected to show off their latest models and technologies. Tesla, which has a large electric vehicle factory in Shanghai, has attended the show in past years. Tesla and Auto Shanghai did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked about the U.S. automaker's participation at the Shanghai auto show on Friday.

☆ China's BYD bets on self-developed chassis suspension system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, April 10 (Reuters) - China's BYD launched on Monday a new chassis suspension system as the electric vehicle maker ramps up efforts to move upmarket with premium products. The system, BYD DiSus Intelligent Body Control System, is similar to the chassis suspension systems available in premium and luxury cars, such as Porsche's Dynamic Chassis Control and Mercedes Benz's Magic Body Control. The DiSus system will come in three variations and will be used in BYD's luxury off-road SUV Yangwang U8 initially, BYD said in a statement. BYD launched its first luxury car brand Yangwang in January with an off-road SUV and a sportscar priced above 1 million yuan. BYD has benefited from its strategy to use self-developed batteries and powertrain systems.

☆ China's car sales stay flat in March amid price war -CPCA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Car sales in March were 1.61 million units, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said. In the first three months, sales had fallen 13.4% to 4.33 million units, it added. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include pure battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, rose 21.9% in March and accounted for 34% of the month's sales, the data showed. More than 40 brands have joined a price war started by Tesla this year, among them Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen, which have started offering aggressive discounts on their best-selling ICE models to defend market share. Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tesla to build Shanghai factory to make Megapack batteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, April 9 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is opening a factory in Shanghai, capable of producing ten thousand Megapack energy product per year, to supplement output of Megapack factory in California, the company said in a tweet on Sunday. Complementing a huge existing Shanghai plant making electric vehicles, the new factory will initially produce 10,000 Megapack units a year, equal to around 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, to be sold globally, Xinhua said. Chinese battery giant CATL (300750.SZ) has also been deepening its collaborations with clients including Tesla in energy storage battery supplies, which its Chairman Robin Zeng expected to have a larger market than batteries powering electric vehicles (EV). The company began producing Model 3 cars in Shanghai in 2019 and now is capable of producing 22,000 units of cars per week. Tesla planned to expand the Gigafactory Shanghai, its most productive automaking plant, to add an annual capacity of 450,000 units, Reuters reported last May.

☆ Tesla to build Shanghai factory to make Megapack batteries, Xinhua reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, April 9 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) will build a factory in Shanghai to make the Megapack energy storage product, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported on Sunday. Elon Musk's automaker will break ground on the plant in the third quarter and start production in the second quarter of 2024, Xinhua reported from a signing ceremony in Shanghai. Complementing a huge existing Shanghai plant making electric vehicles, the new factory will initially produce 10,000 Megapack units a year, equal to around 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, to be sold globally, Xinhua said. Chinese battery giant CATL (300750.SZ) has also been deepening its collaborations with clients including Tesla in energy storage battery supplies, which its Chairman Robin Zeng expected to have a larger market than batteries powering electric vehicles (EV). Tesla planned to expand the Gigafactory Shanghai, its most productive automaking plant, to add an annual capacity of 450,000 units, Reuters reported last May.

☆ Tesla delivers 88,869 China-made EVs in March - CPCA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) sold 88,869 units of China-made electric vehicles (EV) in March for both domestic sales and exports, up 35.0% from a year ago, data published by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Tuesday. That was up 19.4% from February, when the U.S. electric car maker delivered 74,402 China-made Model 3 and Model Y electric cars. By comparison, BYD sold 206,089 units last month with its Dynasty and Ocean series of EVs and hybrids, up 97.5% from a year ago, CPCA data showed. BYD took up 41% in that segment, CMBI data showed. Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ VW pledges to double down on EVs in China, urges extension of NEV tax breaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The market is flush with new, highly competitive players but strong competition simply motivates us to constantly innovate and improve," Mecha said. He added that despite softer short term demand in China, the company is confident that there would be a recovery. In February, Chinese electrified vehicle maker BYD outsold the Volkswagen-branded cars to be the best-selling passenger car brand in the world's largest auto market for the second month in four. In September, China extended the tax exemption on such vehicles by a year to the end of 2023. ($1 = 0.9226 euros)Reporting by Zhang Yan, Hongwei Li, Brenda Goh; Editing by William Mallard and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Huawei partners with more automakers to produce Aito EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, April 1 (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) is partnering with more legacy automakers to produce Aito-branded electric cars, the company's senior executive said on Saturday, in a move to expand its presence in the auto industry. Huawei will team up with Chery Automobile (CHERY.UL), BAIC Motor (1958.HK) and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (600418.SS) in jointly developing and manufacturing Aito-branded vehicles, Richard Yu, Huawei's Smart Car CEO, said at the China EV 100 forum in Beijing. Huawei, which has already a partnership with Seres Group (601127.SS) to make Aito cars, plans a series of models including SUVs, sedans and multipurpose vehicles under the Aito brand, Yu added. Huawei has been hit by a series of export controls by Washington which says it is a security risk, which the company denies. The sanctions have also affected Huawei's partnerships with global automakers, who have given up using Huawei's vehicle connectivity technologies in the past two years, Yu said on Saturday.

☆ Xpeng aims to roll out driver assistance software to all Chinese cities by 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Further updates in the second half would enable vehicles to automatically change lanes, overtake and make left or right turns, it said. It is aiming for the software to be available and functional across China by 2024, it added. Xpeng is also changing its technology so that future XNGP updates will not rely on maps, where there are Chinese regulatory constraints, but on algorithms and sensors. Tesla sold 60,766 EVs in China in the same period, 43% more than a year ago. However, Tesla has faced complaints, investigations and lawsuits in the United States that it overstates the effectiveness and safety of electric vehicles' Autopilot and FSD.

☆ Exclusive: Elon Musk plans China visit, seeks meeting with premier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip told Reuters. The exact timing of the visit is subject to Li Qiang's availability, one of the sources said. China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. A visit by Musk would mark his first visit to China since the COVID-19 pandemic and since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China's president. The sources did not say what Musk intends to discuss with Li or do in China.

☆ Exclusive: Tesla's Musk planning to visit China, seeking meeting with premier -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip told Reuters. Tesla and China's State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to requests for comment. China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. A visit by Musk would mark the first time he has visited China since the COVID-19 pandemic and since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China's president. Reporting by Zhang Yan in Shanghai and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Tesla's Musk planning to visit China, seeking meeting with premier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip told Reuters. Tesla and China's State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to requests for comment. China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. A visit by Musk would mark the first time he has visited China since the COVID-19 pandemic and since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China's president. Reporting by Zhang Yan in Shanghai and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Meizu unveils first smartphones since deal with Geely founder
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company run by Geely Chairman Eric Li took a majority stake in Meizu last year, making the Volvo owner the first established carmaker to enter the premium smartphone sector. He later named the company Xingji Meizu, with the brand as its smartphone arm. Other tech-auto partnerships in China include Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL), whose Harmony operating system powers Seres cars. Meizu, a two-decade-old Chinese consumer electronics company, rose to prominence early in the 1ast decade as an up-and-coming Chinese Android. ($1 = 6.8766 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Josh Horwitz, Zhang Yan and Brenda GohOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BYD downplays China price war impact after Q4 profit jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, March 29 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD said on Wednesday it was large enough to shake off the impact of a bruising price war and faltering demand in China, after reporting an 11-fold increase in fourth-quarter profit. The strong result came as it extended its lead in the Chinese market, thanks to an expanding range of products that is helping it overtake Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) to become the top-selling brand. BYD accounted for 41% of so-called new energy car sales in the world's biggest auto market for the first two months of the year. The Chinese EV giant has been slowing output since the start of the year when Beijing ended a national subsidy programme for EVs and plug-in electric vehicles. ($1 = 6.8756 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Josh Ye, Zhang Yan, Ella Cao and Meg Shen; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Angus MacSwan and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BYD posts 11-fold jump in Q4 profit -filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 28 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ) reported an 11-fold increase in fourth-quarter profit as it extended its lead in the domestic market with a wide range of products. Net profit for October-December came in at 7.3 billion yuan ($1.06 billion) versus 602 million yuan a year earlier. For the whole of 2022, net profit increased 446% to 16.6 billion yuan, said the company, which is 12% owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N). Its battery installation volume ranked the second globally in Janaury with 17.6% market share, exceeding LG Energy Solutions, according to SNE Research. ($1 = 6.8756 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan, Ella Cao and Meg Shen; editing by Jason Neely, Jonathan Oatis and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Nio opens trial for high-speed EV battery swapping stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Aly SongSHANGHAI, March 28 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio Inc (9866.HK) began trial operation on Tuesday of faster, more efficient battery swapping stations in China in its push to make battery swapping a viable alternative to rival EV makers' rapid-charging technology. Tesla's (TSLA.O) rapid-charging Supercharger allows EV users to top up vehicles to a range of 200 miles in 15 minutes. Rival Tesla has dismissed battery swapping as "riddled with problems and not suitable for widescale use". Nio, which has set a target of 2,300 battery swapping stations globally by year-end, had 1,323 in operation as of March 23, Shen said. It aims for 900 of the latest power swap stations to be operating this year, he added.

☆ China's CATL to start mass production, delivery of M3P batteries this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, March 24 (Reuters) - Chinese battery giant CATL (300750.SZ) plans to start mass production and delivery of batteries based on a new materials technology, M3P, which will perform better but cost less than nickel and cobalt-based batteries, its chairman said. Zeng Yuqun made the comments in an online investor briefing on Friday. M3P batteries will have greater energy density and perform better than lithium-ion phosphate batteries, a market CATL dominates, but will be cheaper than nickel and cobalt-based batteries, he added. Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda GohOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: BYD reduces shifts at two electric vehicle plants in China - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BYD also reduced shifts at its Shenzhen plant, which makes its Han sedans, from three shifts per day to two per day, four people with knowledge of the development said. BYD did not give a reason for the reduced shifts in its planning memo reviewed by Reuters. Reuters was not able to determine how long the reduced shifts would last for BYD and if any of its other three assembly plants in China were affected by production schedule changes. It was also not clear how the reduced shifts would translate into production volume changes. To spur demand, BYD began offering discounts for its best-selling Yuan Plus and Seal EVs in March.

☆ Volkswagen joins China price war as new emissions rule looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Guangzhou Automobile Group, the Chinese partner of both Honda Motor Co Ltd and Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), has also offered subsidies running from March 15 to March 31. Chinese passenger vehicle sales fell 20% in January-February, industry data showed, even as some manufacturers offered reduced prices to stimulate demand. Sales of new energy vehicles, which include all-battery and plug-in battery-petrol hybrid vehicles, grew faster than the overall market, accounting for over 30% in February. In the same month, Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ) outsold Volkswagen-branded cars for the second month in four. ($1 = 6.8923 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In early February, sources said CATL aimed to go ahead with the listing as early as May. PRIVATE PLACEMENTThe sources said the Chinese regulator has concerns over the vast scale of CATL's GDR offering. At $5 billion, the GDR deal would easily be the largest such listing by a Chinese company in Switzerland, according to Refinitiv data. With much better liquidity on the domestic market, investors can exit more easily. Such practices have also made Chinese regulators less keen to wave through mega-GDR offerings, two of the sources with knowledge of the matter said.

☆ China's BYD denies media report on Tesla ending battery supply cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, March 14 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle and battery maker BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ), on Tuesday said a media report saying U.S. peer Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is ending cooperation on battery supplies is false. The Korean Economic Daily on Sunday cited industry sources as saying Tesla had not ask BYD for an additional supply of batteries for certain Tesla Model 3 vehicles after their supply deal expired earlier this year. The report "is not in line with the actual situation", BYD said in a statement to Reuters. Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Xi adds oversight risk to China EV battery growth plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Three battery industry executives - including two at CATL - and two people close to regulators working with the industry told Reuters they understood Xi’s remarks as a warning to both the company and the wider battery industry. Consultant Rystad Energy estimates that battery production capacity in China will reach 1,338 gigawatt hours (GWh) by year end, up 23%. But EV sales in China have started to slow, prompting CATL to offer discounts to smaller EV makers in China in February in exchange for locking in future orders. EXCESS CAPACITY RISKZeng told investors in May that the recent wave of investment worth billions of dollars in battery production could leave excess capacity as technology evolves. CATL told investors that the partnership, which it said was based on "commercial considerations" has been moving ahead.

☆ Chinese EV comptition hots up as BYD offers discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] BYD electric vehicles (EV) are displayed at a car dealership in Shanghai, China, February 3, 2023. The discounts will be for buyers who place orders for the Song Plus and Seal models between March 10 and March 31, the company said on its social media account. In return for an 88 yuan ($12.64) deposit, buyers for a Seal EV can get 8,888 yuan deducted from the price, while for Song Plus models, the discount is 6,888 yuan. It sold 34,621 Song Plus SUVs and 14,372 Seal sedans in the first two months, according to China Passenger Car Association. The car association data showed Tesla (TSLA.O) sold 39,710 Model Ys and 21,056 Model 3s in January and February combined.

☆ China's Jan-Feb passenger cars sales down 20% - CPCA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - China's passenger vehicle sales fell 20% in the first two months of this year, industry data showed on Wednesday, underscoring weak demand in the world's biggest auto market even as some car manufacturers offer reduced prices to revive demand. Sales in February, 1.42 million units, were 10.4% higher than a year earlier, a low base period when a week-long Lunar New Year holiday reduced business activity, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include pure battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, grew faster than the overall market, up 61% in February on a year earlier. NEVs accounted for more than 30% of new car sales. Tesla accounted for 11.5% of China's battery electric car sales in February, little changed from 11.3% a year before, indicating a waning effect of price cuts it implemented in early January.

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