Li Xiang wants to be a top-three brand in China’s above-RMB-200,000 passenger market. On 26 August, at the second-quarter earnings call, he and president Ma Donghui laid out exactly how: two pure-electric flagships in two weeks, an in-house battery rolling out across the range, and a first appearance in Europe. Li Auto’s Q2 2026 financials. … Read more
A self-driving system can see a car, a pedestrian, a red light. What it struggles with is time. XPeng says its second-generation VLA model fixes exactly that, trading a static 3D view of the world for a moving 4D one. XPeng’s assisted-driving system reading a complex road scene. (Source: CheDongXi) From 3D space to 4D … Read more
Thirteen carmakers turned in their August scorecards on 1 September, and the split between China’s new-force brands could hardly be sharper. At the top, Leapmotor crossed 100,000 deliveries for a second straight month. At the bottom, four ecosystems slipped. The through-line for European readers: Chinese electric vehicle exports are climbing off the same momentum. August … Read more
From 1 September, China charges a 2 per cent consumption tax on lithium batteries, rising to 4 per cent in September 2027, while sodium-ion, solid-state and fuel cells stay exempt through the end of 2028. The levy ends an 11-year tax holiday for an industry that now dominates global lithium supply. A rush to beat … Read more
NIO co-founder and president Qin Lihong says the range-extender wave that swept Chinese large SUVs is losing steam, and pure electric is set to take more than half the market as charging and battery tech cross a tipping point. A NIO pure-electric large SUV, a segment shifting from range extender to battery (Source: LeiPhone) The … Read more
On 5 August, SAIC Motor and General Motors signed a renewal in Shanghai that extends their venture, SAIC-GM, by 20 years to 2047, the longest renewal among major China joint ventures and a signal of how both sides now value the partnership. Signing of the SAIC-GM joint venture renewal in Shanghai (Source: LeiPhone) A symbolic … Read more
Omov, the autonomous-driving and mobility group spun out of Continental, is rewriting how a global Tier 1 serves China. In early 2026 it formed a China management committee that gave the local team real authority over supply, manufacturing, product development and partner choice, with full profit and loss responsibility for the China business. From global … Read more
Tesla has pulled the covers off its production Cybercab, a purpose-built robotaxi that removes the steering wheel, brake and accelerator entirely and relies on its FSD system for full autonomy. The company opened the pod to public rides in Austin, Texas, and set China debuts in Beijing and Shanghai for 18 September. A launch run … Read more
On 2 September, the new-generation Li Auto MEGA launched, offering a single MEGA Home version at RMB 509,800, with delivery this week. It comes standard with a 108 kWh ternary 5C ultra-fast-charge battery, front and rear dual-motor all-wheel drive, CLTC pure-electric range of 710 km, and 10 minutes of 5C charging adds 500 km of … Read more
In the summer of 2026, China’s auto industry is moving its gaze from the steering wheel to two legs. On 24 August, XPeng said its humanoid business closed a first round above USD 900 million at over USD 6.3 billion post-money, with Tencent and Alibaba rarely joining together. Around the same time BYD’s first commercial … Read more