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Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles
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If America really is not afraid of free and fair competition, it must rise to the challenge presented by Chinese electric vehicles and not apply its ‘national security’ brake.

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  • Xpeng will launch a compact EVs priced ‘between 100,000 yuan and 150,000 yuan’ for the China and global markets, co-founder and CEO He Xiaopeng said
  • Premium EV makers are looking to grab a slice of the pie from BYD, Shanghai analyst says

His declaration comes during an inspection tour and as the European Parliament approves a new legal framework to get ahead of worrisome risks associated with artificial intelligence.

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.

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Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) maker Leapmotor has joined the widening discount war on the mainland, pricing its new SUV as much as 17 per cent lower than originally planned.

Recent smart mobility efforts in Hong Kong include the development of sky shuttles, as well as the deployment of hydrogen-powered double-decker buses and driverless trucks.

The US$77,764 Li Mega, Beijing-based Li Auto’s first pure-electric model, has a range of 710 kilometres. It costs nearly twice as much as market leader General Motors’ petrol-powered competitor.

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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.

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The Shenzhen-based EV maker expects to choose a location for the plant, which is set to have a production capacity of 150,000 cars annually, by the year-end.

From Xiaomi to Xpeng, leading Chinese electric vehicle makers have expressed disbelief that Apple is ending its decade-long effort to build a car.

Geely’s premium electric-vehicle unit Zeekr has cut prices by 10 per cent, joining the fray against mainland Chinese rivals after BYD fired the first salvo this month.

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The company, a division of British sports car company Lotus Group in which Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding owns a majority stake, will focus on the premium segment despite cheap models dominating the mainland EV market.

Haomo.AI, an autonomous driving technology start-up backed by Great Wall Motor, has raised 100 million yuan (US$13.9 million) in a new round of financing buoyed by Chinese drivers’ growing appetite for intelligent vehicles.

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Chinese AI driverless company Uisee has picked Hong Kong for setting up its international headquarters, with plans to use the city as its springboard for expansion into Singapore, the Middle East and Europe.

GGSN, which is partly owned by New World Group, is in talks to set up research, product development and marketing facilities in Hong Kong, where it hopes to demonstrate its autonomous charging devices in the car parks of offices and malls.

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Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng will spend a record 3.5 billion yuan (US$486 million) in 2024 and hire 4,000 new workers, as it unveils plans to churn out 30 new models over the next three years.

Westwell, a Chinese developer of AI chips for autonomous vehicles, plans to invest HK$300 million (US$39.36 million) in the next five years to attract global talent to its new international HQ in Hong Kong.

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Li Auto plans to give its 20,000 employees annual bonuses of up to eight months’ pay for exceeding the 300,000-unit sales target last year. The carmaker has set a goal of delivering 800,000 units this year.

The recall announced by the US’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a sign of stronger scrutiny of the electric vehicle maker.

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Mainland Chinese EV builders’ 2024 has got off to a bumpy start, after car deliveries dropped sharply amid mounting concerns about a slowing economy and job losses.

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China’s industrial and commercial hub of Shanghai is seeking to roll out a three-tiered cross-border data flow regulation by March in a bid to address a long-standing ‘sore point’ for foreign firms.

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Autonomous truck driving firm TuSimple is shifting focus to APAC – including China, Japan and Australia – where regulatory support and a strong supply chain can help commercialisation.

BYD will invest 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) in smart cars, as the company expects intelligent new energy vehicles to be the next industry battlefield, founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu says.

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The development of artificial intelligence has created opportunities for educated workers in the Philippines and other developing countries. But they are poorly paid and lack training.