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☆ China to be centre of Mercedes-Benz 2025 EV sales drive, Automobilwoche says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, July 23 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is making China, the world's top auto market, central to its next electric vehicle (EV) campaign starting in 2025, its CEO told German magazine Automobilwoche. From 2025, all of Mercedes-Benz's new vehicle platforms will only make EVs under a strategy the German luxury automaker outlined in 2021. A senior executive told Automobilwoche the models the company plans to launch in China based on the upcoming MB.EA platform were being reviewed to ensure they better meet the needs of local customers, singling out space and digital content. China remains the most relevant market for Germany's automakers, but local brands are in control with an 81% share of the Chinese EV market in 2022, Counterpoint Research found. China also has a significant stake in Mercedes-Benz, whose top two shareholders are Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (1958.HK) and Geely (GEELY.UL) Chairman Li Shufu.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius, Automobilwoche, Li Shufu, Christoph Steitz, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Benz, Mercedes, EV, Research, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, China, Berlin, Ukraine

☆ Polestar partners with Geely's Meizu to build Chinese operating system
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Marie Mannes | Thomson Reuters | Stockholm-Based Company News Correspondent Who Mainly Covers Anything To Do With Retail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 19 (Reuters) - Swedish electric vehicle (EV) maker Polestar said on Monday it had formed a joint venture with Xingji Meizu to build an operating system for Polestar cars sold in China that will offer the latest smart technologies in its vehicles. The venture represents a further push by the Geely group (GEELY.UL) to adapt cars specifically for Chinese consumers. The Swedish group said it would own 49% of the JV and Xingji Meizu 51%, providing $98 million and $102 million in funding respectively. Xingji Meizu has grown over the last decade in its attempt to become a Chinese rival to Android, but holds a marginal market share. Traditional carmakers have come under pressure from Chinese EV makers offering lower prices and smart consumer-facing technologies.

Persons: Polestar, Xingji, Li Shufu, Thomas Ingenlath, Xingji Meizu, Ingenlath, Marie Mannes, Elaine Hardcastle, Jan Harvey Organizations: Volvo, JV, Reuters, Google, EV, Thomson Locations: Swedish, China, U.S

☆ Chinese delegation to meet with Germany's top corporate brass next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT/BERLIN, June 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Qiang will meet Germany's top CEOs next week as part of a visit to Europe, hoping to strengthen ties at a time when Berlin is pursuing a strategy to lessen its economic dependence on Beijing. A meeting between Li and a group of German and Chinese CEOs is scheduled for June 19, according to people familiar with the plans. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), SAP (SAPG.DE) and Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) all confirmed that their CEOs would meet with the delegation. The CEO of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) division Audi will also participate, a person familiar with the matter said. BASF (BASFn.DE), Bayer (BAYGn.DE), Infineon (IFXGn.DE), Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE), all companies with major business ties to China, declined to comment.

Persons: Premier Li Qiang, Li, Li Shufu, Mercedes, Roland Busch, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Andrew Small, Marshall, Siegfried Russwurm, Ilona Wissenbach, Hakan Ersen, Christoph Steitz, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Christina Amann, Andreas Rinke, Rene Wagner, Sarah Marsh, Jan Schwartz, Alexander Huebner, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Louise Heavens Organizations: Premier, Mercedes, Benz, SAP, Siemens Energy, Volkswagen, Audi, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Siemens, Pacific Committee, BASF, Bayer, Infineon, BMW, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, BERLIN, Europe, Berlin, Beijing, China, Asia, German, Germany, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich

☆ Cutting ties with China is 'unthinkable', Mercedes-Benz CEO tells Bild am Sonntag
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

But Ola Kaellenius said decoupling from China, the world's second largest economy, was "unthinkable for almost all of German industry". "The major players in the global economy, Europe, the U.S. and China, are so closely intertwined that decoupling from China makes no sense," he was quoted as saying. German carmakers depend on the Chinese car market, the world's largest, and Mercedes-Benz counts China's Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (1958.HK) and Geely Chairman Li Shufu as its two top shareholders. China accounted for 18% of revenues and 37% of car sales at Mercedes-Benz in 2022 and Kaellenius predicted more to come. "Our sales figures in China are increasing and I am quite optimistic that we will also grow this year.

☆ Geely Chair Li Shufu sells his stake in Daimler Truck
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Tenaciou3 Prospect Investment has sold its entire stake in Daimler Truck (DTGGe.DE), a Daimler Truck spokesperson said on Friday. "We can confirm that ... investor Tenaciou3 Prospect Investment Ltd has sold its shares in Daimler Truck Holding AG. We will not comment further," the spokesperson said. Tenaciou3 Prospect Investment is controlled by Chinese automotive group Geely's chairperson Li Shufu. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, writing by Marie Mannes, editing by Anna RingstromOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

That compares with a valuation of about $9 billion in its maiden external fundraising last year. In doing so, it joins a growing list of Chinese automakers looking to launch or expand sales of EVs in the region. The automotive group led by founder Li Shufu now houses seven brands manufacturing electric vehicles, of which three are high-end brands. According to two of the sources, Zeekr also considered Hong Kong as its listing venue but picked New York in the hope of achieving a higher valuation. Zeekr was established by Geely, formally known as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (GEELY.UL), in April 2021 to tap into increasing Chinese demand for premium EVs.

HONG KONG, Nov 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - As automakers hesitate to invest in legacy motors, China’s Geely and France’s Renault (RENA.PA) are teaming up to supply gas guzzlers and more to rivals. Founder Li Shufu wants new-energy vehicles to account for 50% of Hong Kong-listed Geely Automobile’s (0175.HK) sales next year. Renault boss Luca de Meo says European car sales at the company he leads will be 100% electric by 2030. By hitching itself to Renault, Geely can shift gears faster to make the most of the window of opportunity. Together, they sold nearly 5 million cars last year, most of which were internal combustion engines.

☆ Geely’s pricey cars can hope for some premium spin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Nov 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Geely Automobile (0175.HK) is hiving off its young electric vehicle brand, Zeekr. The Hong Kong-listed group’s chairman and founder Li Shufu has a lot riding on how the deal is positioned as the valuations of its homegrown rivals crash. Parent Zhejiang Geely’s extensive experience building battery-powered models and the Volvo Car (VOLCARb.ST) owner’s track record overseas suggests the upstart can scale rapidly. So far so good: Zeekr, which launched only last year, sold nearly 40,000 premium cars in the first nine months. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

SEOUL, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) Chief Executive Luca De Meo said on Tuesday the automaker was looking to find a partner for a carve-out of its combustion-engine business that would bring scale and drive down costs on technology, including hybrids. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterDe Meo said Renault was in talks with the French government over its evolving strategy. De Meo has said Renault needs new partnerships because of the scale of the investment needed to shift toward battery-powered cars and charging. In exchange for investing in the EV venture, Nissan is looking to Renault to reduce its stake in the Japanese automaker, a person familiar with the talks said. Renault currently owns about 43% of Nissan, which in turn has a 15% stake in its long-term partner with the French state holding another 15%.

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