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Future of transport

Future of transport
From electric cars to on-demand car service apps, companies like Uber, Google and Didi Dache are changing the way we get from place to place, and having a potentially irreversible effect on employment in this key sector.
Pony AI is one of three robotaxi firms that have received approval from authorities to operate driverless cabs on designated roads in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Pony AI and Toyota roll out robotaxis in China’s autonomous drive push

Guangzhou-based Pony AI begins output of 1,000 autonomous cabs and targets a 3,000-unit fleet by the end of 2026 as it expands globally.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio raises US$2.6 billion bet on battery swapping

Electric & new energy vehicles

AutoFlight unveils world’s largest flying car as China races to lead the skies

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla launches China AI training centre as self-driving race accelerates

US EV giant opens hub to advance its Full Self-Driving software, as Chinese carmakers step up their own L3 autonomous driving plans.

The AI training centre’s launch marks a significant step towards commercialising Tesla’s Full Self-Driving navigation software in mainland China. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong transport

New working group to push autonomous vehicle technology in Hong Kong

Transport Department’s strategy blueprint includes implementation of real-time adaptive traffic signals and smart motorway management system.

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.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

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

Low interest rates and seven-year payback periods replace price discounts while EV sales drop and materials costs rise.

A potential buyer discusses a Tesla YL with a staff member in a showroom in Beijing on February 3, 2026. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

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

Shares in Hong Kong-listed BYD, Xpeng, Li Auto and Nio plummet as tepid January sales underline pessimistic forecasts for the year.

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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China jobs

With AI in the driving seat, China moves to rein in job displacement risks

China’s central government unveils plans for policy to reduce industrial labour pains caused by widespread use of artificial intelligence.

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Employees work on a Neolix X3 vehicle production line at a factory of Chinese autonomous delivery vehicle maker Neolix in Yancheng, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
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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Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland. Tesla has reported that its annual revenues declined for the first time in the company’s history in 2025. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

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.

A Xiaomi SU7 Max is displayed at the entrance of the company’s EV factory in Beijing. Photo: AFP
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.

Low-altitude economy

Shanghai to open ‘free-to-fly’ zones covering 46% of city for consumer drones

From February 1, consumer drones will be allowed to fly in designated airspace under new rules to boost the city’s low-altitude economy.

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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.

BYD’s plant in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua
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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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.

Customers check out an EV at a shopping center in Wuhan, in central China’s Hubei province, on January 14, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Tencent

Uber’s WeChat tie-up pays off as demand from Chinese tourists rises overseas

Uber will offer a discount of at least 40 per cent during Lunar New Year for new mainland users who join via its WeChat mini-program.

New York-listed Uber operates in 70 markets globally. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Xpeng unveils hybrid SUV boasting world’s longest driving distance

Launch of new G7 edition underscores Xpeng’s go-global push and rising competition with Tesla and BYD.

The hybrid G7 super utility vehicle boasts a range of more than 1,700km without charging, according to Xpeng. Photo: Handout
US-China trade war

BYD’s win, Tesla’s defeat, Ford’s pivot: the widening gap in US-China EV markets

From wavering policy to cost gaps, analysts say decades of state backing have given China a decisive edge over US rivals.

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Cars come off the assembly line at BYD’s plant in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xiaomi’s refreshed SU7 turns up the heat on Tesla in China’s EV race

Updated SU7 model offers longer range – more than 900km (560 miles) on a single charge – and other advanced features.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s CATL, Nio deepen partnership to develop extended-life EV batteries

Joint effort highlights urgency as industry – including 40 million EV owners – braces for costly replacements.

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