Advertisement
Advertisement
-
TOPIC

Electric & new energy vehicles

Electric & new energy vehicles
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on electric & new energy vehicles, with a particular focus on China.
The Next P7, an electric vehicle from Xpeng, appears at the Indonesian International Motor Show in Jakarta on February 5, 2026. Photo: AP Photo
Autonomous vehicles

China should skip a step in self-driving cars, Xpeng CEO says

He Xiaopeng urges Beijing to clear way for a leap ahead in autonomous driving technology – a jump he promises to propose at the ‘two sessions’.

China trade

China supply chain expo set to welcome more US firms, launch AI section

videocam
Hong Kong budget 2026-27

Editorial | EVs in Hong Kong must compete on their own merits

Belt and Road Initiative

China poised to earn vast profits from global energy transition: analysts

Chinese firms are in pole position to benefit from a wave of investment in clean energy infrastructure that could be worth trillions of US dollars.

videocam
Workers check solar panels installed on a lake in China’s central Anhui province. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong environmental issues

Opinion | The high price of Hong Kong’s slow switch to electric buses and taxis

Slow electrification undermines the city’s green ambitions and squanders a chance to secure its role as a Greater Bay Area innovation hub.

videocam
Hong Kong budget 2026-27

Commercial EV use needs boost after car owner tax break ends, green groups say

Environmentalists back move to end first registration tax concessions for private electric cars, say focus must pivot to businesses.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Autonomous vehicles

Breakthrough or hype? How WeRide aims to edge rivals in crowded robotaxi field

WeRide says its world model has slashed costs to support global expansion, but investors question if it can deliver a lasting advantage.

A simulated environment created by WeRide’s world model Genesis. Photo: Handout
China-Germany relations

Merz’s China tightrope: German leader has warm words, hard questions for Beijing

German chancellor strikes diplomatic tone in Beijing meetings while pushing his hosts on subsidies, currency devaluation and Russia.

videocam
8
Automotive industry

China’s Geely bets on longer-range, faster-charging tech over fresh EV price war

‘We promise to compete based on technology, quality, brand, service and corporate ethics,’ Geely Auto CEO says.

Mainland China

Low-cost models dominate China EV sales, surpassing Tesla and BYD

Geely’s and Wuling’s sub-100,000 yuan battery EVs ranked first and second in mainland China last year, each selling over 400,000 units.

4
Geely’s Xingyuan was the top-selling EV on the mainland last year. Photo: Weibo
Insurance

China’s EV insurers move towards profitability on higher premiums, AI adoption

Chinese insurers are turning to AI as the technology cuts labour costs and enhances pricing accuracy.

Mainland insurers posted a combined loss of 5.7 billion yuan from underwriting EV policies in 2024. Photo: Reuters
Future of transport

China bets on electric ships in push to decarbonise waterways, expand EV success

Twin strengths, battery technology and shipbuilding, are being fused to electrify maritime transport, moving beyond short-haul passenger vessels to commercial cargo.

videocam
13
Science

EU bans Chinese organisations from critical tech programmes, including AI, chips

Chinese space scientist Wu Ji doubts the policy will hurt China much and may instead ‘make Europe appear more isolated’.

videocam
67
China economy

Opinion | How the next China shock is shaping hearts and minds

No longer confined to trade and technology, competition between China and the West is now playing out in the realm of cultural imagination.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Mainland China

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

Zeekr is betting on European demand for high-spec models in its foray into Italy. Photo: Getty Images
China’s private sector

Speed bump ahead: rising battery costs nudge Chinese drivers towards hybrids

Higher lithium prices and the end of incentives are reshaping China’s EV market, with hybrids emerging as a more practical option for many.

6
India

Video | Recycling is India’s critical minerals ‘gold mine’

E-waste has long been described as a ‘gold mine’ for critical minerals in the nation where commercial mining of such material is years away.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Gold in Hong Kong

Copper, lithium unlikely to match gold’s gains as output rises: Goldman

Record gold prices have lifted sentiment across raw materials, but analysts expect differentiated returns as producers ratchet up output.

Gold has surged to record highs, while a range of other commodities have also climbed, as governments and investors seek the perceived “insurance” value of hard assets. Photo: dpa
China-Latin America relations

Chinese steel hit with duties up to US$670 per tonne after Brazil dumping probe

Government anti-dumping investigation found Chinese imports were being sold at unfairly low prices, harming domestic producers.

videocam
US-China trade war

Has Trump ceded EV market to China with latest string of policy shifts?

Analysts say rolling back regulations pushes US further towards petrol cars, discourages EV innovation, and gives China competitive edge.

videocam
Artificial intelligence

Colour matters: how AI is changing car premiums and services in China

Car colour, driving habits and location influence insurance premiums, according to a digital solutions provider using ByteDance’s AI model.

Rush hour in Beijing. White vehicles are less likely to be involved in an accident, according to data from a digital solutions provider. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

CATL’s sodium-ion breakthrough, Tesla’s AI training centre: 7 EV reads

From China banning carmakers from selling below cost to Chinese brands’ dominance in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

CATL’s new Naxtra battery will be installed in China Changan Automobile Group EVs for winter testing in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo: Weibo
Automotive industry

Ford plans US$30,000 budget EV line to take on Chinese rivals

Ford shrinks battery size while extending driving range in bid to launch the new EV by 2027 for the same price as a conventional petrol car.

Mainland China

Chinese cars now can’t be sold for less than it costs to make them

Regulator bans tactics that result in a net loss per vehicle after a 7 per cent drop in the average car price.

8
European Union

China cuts EU dairy tariffs, easing trade tensions after EV dispute

EU called Beijing’s tariffs ‘unwarranted’, and mulls WTO action, but China cutting some duties signals possible improvement in ties.

videocam
China slashes EU dairy tariffs easing trade tensions. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Why China’s BYD and Geely are eyeing Mexico’s idle auto plants

With Mexico’s auto sector battered by tariffs, Chinese investment offers a lifeline that threatens to inflame tensions with Washington.

videocam
View of a section of a Nissan and Mercedes‑Benz joint factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Monday. Photo: Reuters
China manufacturing

China’s efforts to control EV price war sees carmakers paying vendors quicker

Only a handful of the nearly 50 mainland China-based EV builders have been able to turn a profit amid the price wars.

Robotics

Opinion | For clues to China’s next overcapacity cycle, watch the Spring Festival Gala

AI robots taking centre stage at the coming Spring Festival Gala – now a national tech showcase – will signal official endorsement and likely trigger herd investment.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement