Honda, Nissan in merger talks to compete with Tesla, Chinese EV rivals, reports say

Honda, Nissan in merger talks to compete with Tesla, Chinese EV rivals, reports say

Honda and Nissan, Japan’s second- and third-largest automakers, are holding merger talks to create a structure that would enable them to better withstand fierce competition from the likes of Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle (EV) rivals, according to reports. News agency Nikkei first reported that the two companies were holding merger talks to determine how … Read more

Tesla Cybertruck Spotted at Chinese BYD Facility — Is a China Launch on the Horizon?

Tesla Cybertruck Spotted at Chinese BYD Facility — Is a China Launch on the Horizon?

Tesla is stirring speculation once again about a potential Cybertruck debut in China. After recently dismissing such rumors, the automaker has taken actions that reignite the buzz. Notably, the Cybertruck was spotted at a BYD facility in China, fueling questions about Tesla’s plans for the region. In addition, the Elon Musk-led company filed with China’s … Read more

Xiaomi unveils YU7 electric SUV to take on similar models from Tesla, Li Auto, Nio in 2025

Xiaomi unveils YU7 electric SUV to take on similar models from Tesla, Li Auto, Nio in 2025

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has revealed its new YU7 sports utility vehicle (SUV) that it expects to commercially release in mid-2025, taking on similar models from Tesla, Li Auto and Nio in the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market. In a Weibo post on Tuesday, Xiaomi founder, chairman and chief executive Lei Jun showed off … Read more

Chinese AI firms rush out costly ‘reasoning’ models to take on OpenAI’s o1

Chinese AI firms rush out costly ‘reasoning’ models to take on OpenAI’s o1

Chinese technology companies are rushing to unveil reasoning models – advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models designed to take more time to “think and reflect” before generating responses – as they move to narrow China’s gap with the US in the field. Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group Holding, was the latest to … Read more

My Take | Tesla is the poster child for foreign success in China. Can it sustain the goodwill?

My Take | Tesla is the poster child for foreign success in China. Can it sustain the goodwill?

The People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, does not offer praise to foreign businesses very easily. But the newspaper broke with tradition over the weekend with an editorial paying tribute to Tesla, the US electric vehicle (EV) maker owned by billionaire Elon Musk, for helping create the domestic EV boom. The editorial, … Read more

Trump administration prepares to end Biden’s EV tax incentive

Trump administration prepares to end Biden’s EV tax incentive

If you’re looking to buy or lease an electric vehicle (EV) and benefit from the Biden administration’s $7,500 tax incentive, you’d better act soon. The transition team of the incoming Trump administration is already planning to end the credit, according to a report from Reuters citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Under the Biden … Read more

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun marks roll-out of 100,000th EV by paying homage to Tesla’s Elon Musk

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun marks roll-out of 100,000th EV by paying homage to Tesla’s Elon Musk

Xiaomi founder, chairman and chief executive Lei Jun on Wednesday marked the roll-out of the firm’s 100,000th electric vehicle (EV) from the assembly line with a social-media post of himself sleeping on the factory floor, paying homage to what Elon Musk did during the early days of Tesla. In a post published at 7:57am on … Read more

Humanoid robot could recharge China’s manufacturing labour shortage

Humanoid robot could recharge China’s manufacturing labour shortage

A Chinese robot maker has received over 500 orders from carmakers for an industrial humanoid robot, according to local media reports, in a development that may soon help ease China’s manufacturing labour shortage. UBTech’s Walker S1, officially unveiled on Monday, has already begun training in factories, including those of the world’s largest electric vehicle maker … Read more

Apple secretly worked with China’s BYD on long-range EV battery

Apple secretly worked with China’s BYD on long-range EV battery

Apple worked with Chinese carmaker BYD for years as part of its now-cancelled car project, developing long-range batteries that helped lay the groundwork for technology used today, according to people familiar with the situation. Apple and the Shenzhen-based company teamed up around 2017 to build a battery system using lithium iron phosphate cells, said the … Read more

Donald Trump doubles down on China carmakers being unwelcome in US market

Donald Trump doubles down on China carmakers being unwelcome in US market

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday said he would take steps to prevent Chinese carmakers from selling vehicles in the US as part of his plan to save the American auto industry. “They’re going to pay a 100 per cent or maybe even a 200 per cent tariff because we’re not going to let … Read more