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Automotive industry

Automotive industry
News about the global automotive industry with a focus on developments that matter most for the China market.
China’s roughly 50 electric carmakers sold about 900,000 vehicles last month, down 42.3 per cent from 1.56 million units in December. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s turbocharged EV market hits a speed bump amid falling sales

After years at full throttle, China’s EV sector is slowing sharply, with sales sliding in January as tax breaks fade and costs rise.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla, Xiaomi vie for Chinese EV buyers with cheaper, longer loans

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers’ shares skid as sales slide after tax incentive ends

Electric & new energy vehicles

How Tesla’s AI shift is prompting Chinese rivals to expand tech offerings

As Tesla diversifies into humanoid robots and self-driving cars, its Chinese competitors are also moving into flying cars, robots and chips.

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Xpeng’s X2 flying car is displayed at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, in July 2025. Photo: Shutterstock
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla reports first ever annual revenue decline as China’s EV giants zoom ahead

Tesla’s vehicle production fell 7 per cent year on year in 2025, as Elon Musk signals company will pivot to humanoid robots.

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European Union

Opinion | On EV targets, Europe should take a page from China’s playbook

To avoid dilemmas associated with grandiose, fixed-date bans, the European Union can embrace China’s approach and pursue an inclusive green agenda.

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China-EU relations

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.

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The European Council president, Antonio Costa (left); the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen (right); and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose ahead of their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
China’s private sector

Partnerships, not plants: Chinese companies rethink overseas expansion strategy

Executives are urging a measured approach as Chinese firms turn to global markets amid intensifying competition at home.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng targets overseas sales surge in 2026 as China EV battle goes global

Guangzhou-based EV maker targets more than 90,000 overseas deliveries this year amid fierce competition at home.

Mainland China

China’s Sinochem ‘has proposed a solution’ to end Pirelli governance dispute

The Italian government is moving to limit Sinochem’s influence over Pirelli in ⁠a bid to ease the tyre maker’s US expansion.

The Italian government is assessing options to limit Sinochem’s influence over Pirelli. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmaker BYD chases 24% export growth with new models, more showrooms

Shenzhen-based company expects to sell 1.3 million cars this year outside mainland China.

Cars unloaded from the ship BYD Changzhou await further movement at a port in Argentina on January 19, 2026. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xiaomi’s SU7 becomes China’s first Tesla killer, outselling the Model 3

Tesla’s grip on China’s premium sedan segment has loosened, as a bruising price war reshapes the EV landscape.

US-China relations

Trump admin pushes out US official whose unit banned Chinese vehicles

Elizabeth Cannon’s departure comes shortly after the US Commerce Department dropped a plan to restrict Chinese drones.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Major foreign carmakers set to stage a comeback in China this year: analysts

Foreign carmakers ‘will fight back because they will have the same products’ as their Chinese rivals, consultancy head Denis Depoux says.

Volkswagen workers seen at an assembly line in the German carmaker’s plant in Qingdao, in eastern Shandong province, on December 23, 2025. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s flying car makers aim for deliveries this year as passenger use nears

China’s ‘low-altitude economy’ is shifting from concept demos to commercial planning amid surging orders.

An eVTOL vehicle from AutoFlight Group is designed to hover like a helicopter but transition to winged flight for horizontal movement. Photo: Handout
US-China trade war

Beijing-Ottawa deal reinforces China’s dominance in EV industry, analysts say

New agreement is set to significantly boost Chinese carmakers’ global expansion and offers easier entry into the North American EV market.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Editorial | China’s EV industry should focus on consolidation at home, expansion abroad

With Beijing discouraging ‘irrational competition’, the fewer brands with greater scale that emerge from the consolidation wave should look to opportunities abroad.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers’ outlook overseas improves as Europe levels the playing field

Europe’s 33 per cent EV sales growth outpaces the mainland in 2025, while Germany launches a US$3.5 billion subsidy programme.

A BYD Seal is displayed at the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2026. Photo: EPA
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese automotive suppliers speed up localisation to boost global market share

International carmakers’ orders from Chinese vendors are an endorsement of the quality and competitiveness of their products, analyst says.

China-EU relations

Editorial | China-EU compromise over EVs bodes well for trade and overall ties

With the Trump administration turning aggressive towards allies and foes alike, Beijing and Brussels have more reasons to work together.

Energy

Opinion | Clean energy works at scale. Now it must be coordinated

The next decade will be defined not only by new clean energy capacity, but by how well grids, storage and demand systems are connected and optimised.

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Staff members of the State Grid Yantai electric power supply company work at an offshore photovoltaic power project in the waters of Zhaoyuan city, eastern China’s Shandong province on November 15, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese electric vehicle makers eye Western markets as trade barriers fall

Canada will drop the 100 per cent punitive tariffs on Chinese-made pure electric cars while setting an annual import quota of 49,000 units.

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Ora cars from Great Wall Motor are parked in a parking lot at JadeWeserPort in Germany. Photo: dpa
US-China relations

Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Beijing’s shock: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s EV power to Hegseth’s new threat, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of January 2026.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s subsidy change adds to EV makers’ stress, while petrol cars gain

Typical subsidy on an EV drops by around US$1,150, changing buyer calculations and exacerbating the sector’s profitability woes.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China-EU tariff consensus on EVs will cut shipments but boost profits

Agreement on price floors will allow mainland carmakers to avoid price wars and nurture brand reputation, analysts say.

People view BYD cars during the Brussels Motor Show in Brussels, Belgium, on January 10, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV makers face slowdown in export growth after doubling in 2025

Chinese carmakers sold more than 2.6 million units to overseas markets last year, up 104 per cent from a year earlier, association says.

Vehicles await export at Yantai Port in east China’s Shandong province on January 14, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng’s flying car unit readies Hong Kong IPO for take-off

Aridge, formerly AeroHT, eyes listing this year as it aims to accelerate its efforts in the low-altitude market, sources say.

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Tesla

Nvidia, Tesla chase same self-driving goal via different paths

Tesla is betting on winning autonomy as a specialist, while Nvidia is positioning itself as an arms dealer, selling tools to the entire industry.

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