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TOPIC

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.
A person on an electric scooter passes a jeepney at a transport terminal in Quezon City on March 19. The Philippines is grappling with a national energy emergency triggered by the war in Iran. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Why high fuel costs could accelerate the Philippines’ EV boom

Vietnam’s VinFast is seizing the moment by offering incentives for drivers to make the switch from petrol-powered vehicles to electric.

Electric & new energy vehicles

More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars

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Robotics

Meter running: CaoCao backs heavy-asset play to scale robotaxis

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla outraces China’s BYD in pure electric car sales to regain world’s top spot

Shrinking subsidies, new taxes sap China’s EV demand, giving Tesla an edge in global deliveries for first time since fourth quarter of 2024.

Drivers charge their vehicles at a Tesla supercharger station. Photo: TNS
Electric & new energy vehicles

Leapmotor targets global growth with Europe R&D hub, eyes Canada assembly

Chinese EV maker lifts overseas sales target as rising fuel costs and easing tariffs boost demand abroad.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China EV makers surge back in March as subsidies and financing spur demand

Carmakers report strong month-on-month gains as policy support and new financing schemes lift buyer sentiment.

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Autonomous vehicles

Baidu’s robotaxi breakdown in Wuhan strands riders, raises safety concerns

Some Apollo Go self-driving cars stopped suddenly across the central Chinese city, dealing a blow to the tech giant’s global ambitions.

Many autonomous driving vehicles belonging to Chinese tech giant Baidu broke down in Wuhan on Tuesday evening. Photo: Weibo
China travel

China builds record-breaking underwater tunnels to unite eastern, western hubs

China is building new high-speed rail lines that dive underneath major waterways, providing fast services without disrupting shipping traffic.

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Mainland China

How China’s EV makers think they can outrun disastrous price wars

At Beijing’s urging, an industry largely built on discounting must hold the line on prices and convince buyers to pay for better technology.

Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD’s four-year profit run ends, eyes global markets as next engine of growth

Earnings at China’s EV leader fall short of expectations amid intense domestic competition.

The Shenzhen-based company reported a net profit of 32.6 billion yuan (US$4.72 billion) for 2025, down 18.97 per cent from a year earlier. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Pain at the pump fuels EV rush in China, driving a timely boost for carmakers

Brent crude above US$110 is pushing mainland buyers away from petrol cars, lifting China’s EV makers despite fading subsidies.

The oil price surge could offer timely relief for EV makers, which have been grappling with softer demand following the rollback of subsidies. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Pony AI to launch robotaxi service in Europe with Uber, local start-up

Partners aim to operate thousands of robotaxis in various European cities over the next few years after starting in Zagreb, Croatia, ‘soon’.

Mainland China

Video | Will oil shocks trigger a Chinese EV buying spree?

Oil shock from the Iran war might speed up the global EV shift and boost China’s auto industry, analysts say.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s lidar giants pivot to robotics in boost supply chain dominance

Hesai will spend US$28.9 million this year to design and manufacture ‘eyes and muscles’ for robots, creating a new growth engine.

The Hesai booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, January 9, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Autonomous vehicles

China’s WeRide eyes Hong Kong, Singapore roads for robotaxi services

Company plans to put self-driving taxis and buses on Hong Kong streets this year, while Singapore service starts April 1 through Grab.

WeRide’s planned entry into Hong Kong aims to cover both robotaxis and robobuses. Photo: Getty Images
China exports

The Iran war could widen China’s EV lead over its global rivals. Here’s why

The ‘eye-watering’ surge in oil prices may push consumers around the world to switch to electric cars, boosting Chinese brands, analysts say.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

3 Chinese EV makers raise prices – but demand slowdown could force reversal

Xiaomi, Chery and FAW adjust prices amid surging chip and raw material costs, but analysts say soft sales could undermine gains.

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Hong Kong economy

Flying start for low-altitude economy goals as 100 drone projects proposed

Some pilot projects are set to launch in the first half of the year, transport chief Mable Chan says.

The low-altitude economy is an emerging sector focused on activities such as drone use in airspace below 1km. Photo: Nora Tam
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xiaomi’s new-generation SU7 launch sparks fresh EV fight with Tesla in China

Updated smart sedan debuts with improved safety and smart-driving features, intensifying competition with Tesla and domestic rivals.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China presses EV makers to end price war and focus on innovation as demand cools

Oversight of China’s industry intensifies, with carmakers urged to move beyond discounts and focus on chips and self-driving systems.

China manufacturing

Global EV uptake expected to accelerate as Iran war causes petrol price hikes

With more than half of Chinese new car sales being electric in 2025, the nation could save US$28 billion a year in avoided oil import costs.

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Employees work on an electric vehicle (EV) production line at the Volkswagen Anhui factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, as the Iran war pushes up petrol prices and global EV uptake is expected to accelerate. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers step up global expansion using idled foreign facilities

Great Wall Motors, Geely and other Chinese carmakers are using an asset-light strategy to accelerate their growth overseas.

China’s Great Wall Motor is in talks with Mercedes-Benz to share the German carmaker’s factory in East London, South Africa. Photo: Reuters
CATL

CATL profit jump fuels Hong Kong battery stocks amid global energy storage boom

The company’s strong results and energy storage push spark gains for battery makers listed in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio forecasts surge in deliveries after first quarterly profit

The company’s turnaround highlights resilience in China’s EV market, defying a slowdown that has weighed on most domestic rivals.

CATL

China’s CATL profit surges 42% as global market share soars to all-time high

Surging demand solidifies CATL’s position as world’s top EV battery manufacturer for ninth consecutive year.

CATL’s 2025 sales volume of lithium-ion batteries rose 39 per cent from the previous year. Photo: AFP
Style Edit

Style Edit: BMW iX3 rewrites the EV rule book on range and sustainability

Based on the carmaker’s Neue Klasse platform, the new model has a sleek design, advanced tech and 805km range, all while cutting emissions.

The iX3 50 xDrive: BMW has completely rewritten the new car’s design language, dramatically upgrading everything from aesthetics to electronics to sustainability. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Iran war oil shock accelerates Southeast Asia’s EV revolution

Southeast Asia was already going electric. Then war broke out in the Middle East and it started going faster.

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Science

China boosts science budget: is it listening to everything Elon Musk says?

Beijing says greater allocation reflects importance of science and tech self-reliance in driving China’s economy and its rivalry with the US.

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