In an exclusive interview, ambassador Wu Ken says both Berlin and Brussels had greater understanding of China as more in Europe reflect on the ’risks brought by de-risking’.

BYD, the world’s top-selling electric-vehicle maker, is currently discounting almost every model it sells, as part of a marketing campaign declaring ‘electricity is cheaper than oil’.

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng plans to launch its first right-hand drive model in the second half of this year as it accelerates its push to go global, targeting markets such as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

Provisional agreement would target sectors and regions profiting from state-imposed forced labour based on database drawn up by European Commission.

Volkswagen has signed an agreement with Chinese EV maker Xpeng to jointly develop two mid-sized battery-powered vehicles for the highly competitive mainland market in 2026.

Factory findings by health authorities around China have now shed light on the lesser-known health impact of the rapidly developing industry.

Analysts says lower battery costs are enabling EV makers to discount prices amid tougher competition and efforts to take more share from petrol car manufacturers.

The car starts at just over US$11,000, lower than bestselling petrol-powered cars like Volkswagen’s Lavida and Toyota’s Corolla.

As shipments of Chinese cars are stopped by US customs and EU officials continue their inquiry into electric vehicle subsidies, the likelihood of further import controls creeps closer to certainty, analysts said.

The Japanese carmaker’s global sales, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino, rose 7.2 per cent year on year to a record 11.2 million cars in 2023

Prospects for 2024 aren’t looking up, either, with Porsche telling analysts last week that sales volumes would likely be flat.

China’s car sector broke production and sales records last year, buoyed by surging deliveries of electric vehicles and rising exports to markets such as Russia.

VW’s sales in mainland China and Hong Kong trailed well behind overall market growth, while GM’s mainland China deliveries dropped below its US sales for the first time since 2009.

Global sales rose 12 per cent from a year earlier to 986,262 units, the most ever for the month of November. That included a 17 per cent increase in China to, while production there rose 14 per cent.

Berlin-based auditing company’s founder defends its assessment after employees go public to criticise how the inspection of the Chinese plant was handled.

Hong Kong’s push to boost local advanced manufacturing is gaining traction, according to government officials, as the Asian financial centre endeavours to diversify its economy.

Volkswagen is developing a new platform for entry-level electric vehicles in China and use more local components to lower costs, as the German company seeks to regain lost ground in the world’s biggest car market.

Brussels is now focused on three Chinese-owned manufacturers in quest to level playing field for European EV makers.

Chinese electric-car builder Leapmotor is to receive a €1.5 billion (US$1.58 billion) investment from Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, in the latest vote of confidence from a global carmaking giant in the mainland’s EV industry.

Volkswagen-backed Gotion’s factory in Gottingen is expected to reach a production capacity of 5GWh by mid-2024 and 20GWh when fully complete. It is also building plants in the US states of Illinois and Michigan.

‘The revival of the MG brand shows China’s rising manufacturing might in the automotive sector,’ an analyst says, as SAIC leads the country’s push to overtake Japan in annual car exports this year.

Amid frantic competition, makers have reduced prices again to lure buyers, but the cuts could be the last for a while as sales are already strong and margins are thin, according to analysts.

The US$744 million deal enables Xpeng to take advantage of Didi’s business platforms for promotion while helping Didi dodge the cutthroat EV market, an analyst says.

Audi, which is facing a big drop in sales in mainland China, will work with Chinese partner SAIC Motor to establish an EV development platform, in the hope of catching up with the likes of Tesla in the world’s largest electric car market.

The Chinese premier pitched ‘openness and cooperation’ as pressure mounts in Brussels to protect the bloc from economic dependencies and strengthen its resilience.

The guidance came as the company reported a 45.9 per cent drop in revenue and a 37.6 per cent wider net loss in the first quarter.