Author: Lei Kang/CnEVPost

Buick launches Electra E4 electric SUV in China at competitive pricing

The Buick Electra E4 starts at RMB 189,900 in China, with deliveries set to begin in July.

(Image credit: Buick)

General Motors' Buick brand has clearly adapted to the competitive Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, launching its second model built on GM's Ultium platform at a competitive price and fast delivery pace.

Buick officially made the Electra E4, an all-electric coupe SUV, available in China yesterday, just two months after the launch of the Electra E5, its first model built on the Ultium platform.

The Buick Electra E4 is available in four versions in China, starting at RMB 189,900 ($26,520), RMB 209,900, RMB 219,900 and RMB 259,900 respectively.

For comparison, the Model Y, the best-selling electric SUV in China, starts at RMB 263,900 and the EC7, 's coupe SUV, starts at RMB 458,000.

The model will gradually become available in showrooms and its delivery will begin in July, Buick said.

The car is an all-electric coupe SUV with a length, width and height of 4,818 mm, 1,912 mm and 1,581 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.

For comparison, the Electra E5 measures 4,892 mm in length, 1,905 mm in width and 1,655 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.

The Buick Electra E4 is available in two power versions, the dual-motor version with a maximum output of 143 kW for the front electric motor and 68 kW for the rear electric motor, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds.

Its single-motor version features a front motor with a maximum output of 150 kW.

The Buick Electra E4 is powered by a ternary lithium-ion battery supplied by a joint venture between and SAIC, with a 65-kWh pack for the standard range version and a CLTC range of 530 km. Its long-range version has a pack capacity of 79.7 kWh and a CLTC range of 620 km.

Buick is one of the most aggressive in embracing the transition to electrification in the Chinese auto industry. It launched the Electra E5 on April 13, offering five versions with starting prices of RMB 208,900, RMB 222,900, RMB 225,900, RMB 239,900, and RMB 278,900 respectively.

On April 25, Buick announced that the Electra E5 received more than 8,000 orders after 12 days on the market.

On May 29, SAIC Motor, a joint venture between GM and SAIC, said the first deliveries of Electra E5 vehicles had begun, but did not announce the number of deliveries.

($1 = RMB 7.1614)

Buick Electra E5 gets over 8,000 orders in less than 2 weeks after launch in China

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NIO completes key regulatory process for its 1st phone model

's first phone model will be released and begin deliveries in the third quarter, William Li said in April.

NIO (NYSE: NIO)'s first mobile phone model completed radio clearance in China, paving the way for its launch later this year.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker's mobile device, model number N2301, received radio approval on June 19, according to a disclosure on the website of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The device will support 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network standards, and will also support UWB (Ultra Wide Band), a key feature when using a phone as a car key.

The disclosure focuses on the radio specifications for the NIO mobile device, covering frequencies, transmit power, and obtaining the approval is a key process to enable it to be sold in China.

In late March 2022, William Li, NIO's founder, chairman and CEO, confirmed that the company would venture into phone making.

A key driver of NIO's decision was that, in the rise of smart cars in China, owners' experiences are increasingly dependent on a direct and seamless connection between their phones and vehicles.

In March last year, Li told a group of car owners that Apple was closed to the automotive industry, for example, NIO's second-generation platform models come standard with UWB, but Apple does not open up the interface.

NIO has to study smartphones and car-centric smart devices from the user's interest and experience, he said at the time.

On April 1, Li said during a Chinese EV industry forum that NIO's first phone model would be launched and start deliveries in the third quarter.

NIO unveiled the new ES8 at its NIO Day 2022 event on December 24, 2022, and an introductory image of the model shows two cell phones in the second-row center armrest.

The wireless charging pad can wirelessly fast charge two phones simultaneously at 40 W, according to the text on the image.

In an internal speech at NIO last November 15, Li said the launch of the phone was a decision based on 5-10 years of long-term strategic thinking, according to local media outlet LatePost at the time.

Internal speech: William Li on NIO's new businesses, and why it's on right side of trend

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Denza sees 1st production cars of N7 SUV roll off line

The Denza N7 will go on sale later this month, with deliveries to begin in July.  |  BYDDY.US | HK

BYD's premium new energy vehicle (NEV) brand Denza has seen the first production vehicles of the N7 SUV roll off the assembly line, Zhao Changjiang, general manager of the brand's sales division, said on Weibo today.

Zhao did not provide any more information, though shared two images of Denza celebrating the moment.

On June 13, Zhao said the Denza N7 had received more than 20,000 pre-orders before specifications and pricing were announced.

On March 26, he said there were many customers who wanted to get the Denza N7 released and on the market as soon as possible, and that the model was expected to receive 30,000 orders before its mid-year launch, according to the volume of inquiries.

Denza is a joint venture formed in February 2011 by BYD and Daimler, with each holding a 50 percent stake at the time. In February 2022, the Daimler brand was rebranded as Mercedes-Benz. BYD's shareholding in Denza increased to 90 percent last year.

In August 2022, Denza let the D9 MPV go on sale, the brand's first model after the reorganization. The Denza N7 is the second model after Denza's sharing-holding change and its first SUV.

On the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, Denza opened reservations for the N7, but its pricing information was not released.

On December 20 last year, Zhao said on Weibo that the Denza N7 aims to capture the market for conventional internal combustion engine cars priced at around 400,000 yuan ($55,750).

On April 25, Denza said the N7 had received 10,569 pre-orders, just seven days after reservations opened.

On May 30, Zhao said at Denza's first brand day event that the Denza N7 would go on sale in late June, with deliveries to begin in July.

The Denza N7 is a 5-seat mid-size SUV with a length, width and height of 4,860 mm, 1,935 mm and 1,602 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,940 mm, a previous regulatory filing shows.

Denza's only model currently in delivery, the Denza D9, began deliveries at the end of October last year and sold 11,005 units in May this year, the third consecutive month in which it has exceeded 10,000 units.

($1 = RMB 7.1753)

Denza's 1st SUV N7 surpasses 20,000 pre-orders ahead of official launch

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HiPhi begins accepting pre-orders for HiPhi X and HiPhi Z in Europe, deliveries to begin in Q3

HiPhi's third model, the HiPhi Y, which will be launched in China on July 15, will also be introduced to the European market soon and will be available for pre-order there by the end of the year.

HiPhi begins accepting pre-orders for HiPhi X and HiPhi Z in Europe, deliveries to begin in Q3-CnEVPost

(Image credit: HiPhi)

Chinese premium electric vehicle (EV) maker Human Horizons' HiPhi brand has announced the European pricing of its models and started accepting pre-orders.

HiPhi began accepting reservations for the HiPhi X and HiPhi Z from local consumers in Germany and Norway, with first deliveries of the vehicles expected to begin in the third quarter, it announced yesterday.

The HiPhi showroom at Munich International Airport in Germany will open shortly, and the first HiPhi X and HiPhi Z have completed their license plate registration in Germany, allowing consumers to visit the showroom to experience the vehicles and book test drives, it said.

The HiPhi X six-seater and four-seater versions start at 109,000 ($119,000) euros and 123,000 euros respectively in Germany. In Norway, they start at NOK 1,164,000 ($108,690), NOK 1,326,000 respectively.

The HiPhi Z starts at 105,000 euros for the five-seat version in Germany and 107,000 euros for the four-seat version. In Norway, they are NOK 1,110,000, NOK 1,143,000 respectively.

HiPhi begins accepting pre-orders for HiPhi X and HiPhi Z in Europe, deliveries to begin in Q3-CnEVPost

(Image credit: HiPhi)

Human Horizons launched the HiPhi X, the first model of the HiPhi brand, in October 2020, and deliveries of the model began in China in May 2021.

The HiPhi X starts at RMB 570,000 ($79,450) in China for the six-seat version and up to RMB 800,000 for the four-seat version.

In August 2022, the HiPhi Z, the second model under the HiPhi brand, went on sale. The model is available in five-seat and four-seat versions, with starting prices of RMB 610,000 and 630,000 yuan in China, respectively, and deliveries began at the end of January.

The HiPhi X is powered by dual motors with a maximum output of 440 kW and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds.

The car is equipped with a battery pack with a capacity of 97 kWh and a CLTC range of 560 km.

The HiPhi Z is equipped with dual motors with a maximum output of 494 kW and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

The car is equipped with a 120-kWh battery pack and has a CLTC range of up to 705 km.

HiPhi begins accepting pre-orders for HiPhi X and HiPhi Z in Europe, deliveries to begin in Q3-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Both models have received EU certification from the TÜV Nord Group for sale in Europe, HiPhi said yesterday.

In Europe, consumers in Germany and Norway will be the first to experience HiPhi's new driving experience, said Mark Stanton, co-founder, CTO and president of Human Horizons Europe.

With Germany and Norway as the starting point, Human Horizons will expand its business to more countries and regions, he said.

The HiPhi Y, the third model of the HiPhi brand, will be launched on July 15 in China, and it will also be introduced to the European market soon and will be available for pre-order by European consumers by the end of the year, the company said.

The HiPhi Y was included in the latest list of models that will be allowed to be sold in China, announced by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on February 13.

The HiPhi Y will have a single-motor and a dual-motor version, with the single-motor version having a maximum motor power of 247 kW. Its dual-motor version has an additional front motor with a maximum power of 124 kW, according to the filing.

HiPhi was finalizing the pricing for the HiPhi Y series, with the 560 km range version expected to be set at RMB 369,000 to start, said Xu Bin, HiPhi's brand and communications manager, on May 24.

($1 = EUR 0.9160, $1 = NOK 10.7093, $1 = RMB 7.1745)

Saudi Arabia signs $5.6 billion deal with Chinese EV maker Human Horizons

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NIO offers short-term car rental for Chinese owners on European trips

The service will begin a trial run on July 1, with available vehicles being the ET7 and EL7 and a minimum order length of seven days.

(Image credit: )

NIO (NYSE: NIO) will start a trial of a service next month that will allow its car owners in China the flexibility to rent the company's cars while traveling in Europe.

NIO's destination travel service in Europe will begin a trial run on July 1, and those interested can make reservations at that time, according to an article posted today on the NIO App.

The service will be available in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, covering 11 cities including Oslo, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Amsterdam.

NIO will offer two models, the ET7 and EL7, in the trial, but for now it is only available to NIO car owners.

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker launched the ET7, ET5 and EL7 in Europe at the NIO Berlin 2022 event on October 7, 2022. The EL7 is known as the ES7 in China and is using that new name in Europe because of the lawsuit with Audi.

ET7 deliveries in Europe started in October 2022 and EL7 deliveries there started on January 31 of this year.

Owners wishing to use NIO's service must place an order 14 days in advance, with a minimum order length of seven days, at a price of 700 euros ($760) per week. Any use of the car beyond 7 days will be calculated at 100 euros per day.

The benefits provided by NIO for consumers of the service include battery swap service free of charge, free NIO House drinks, and 7*24 hours Chinese service.

NIO Houses are NIO's flagship showrooms, which function as a space to display and sell vehicles while providing a quality lifestyle for NIO owners. The company's showrooms also include the much smaller NIO Spaces.

NIO currently has six NIO Houses in Europe, located in Oslo and Kristiansand, Norway; Berlin, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, Germany; and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

NIO plans to start supporting the use of NIO Credits within its Chinese mobile app for NIO Houses overseas at the end of July, it said.

($1 = €0.9167)

NIO names its car rental service in China NIO Subscription

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NIO Capital ups bet on ARM CPU startup CIX Technology

Capital participated in a RMB hundreds of millions Series A round of funding for CIX Technology, after previously co-leading the company's Pre-A round.

(Image credit: NIO Capital)

CIX Technology, a Chinese startup that builds computer CPUs based on ARM architecture, recently closed new funding from several investors, including NIO Capital.

NIO Capital said today that it participated in CIX Technology's multi-hundred-million-yuan Series A funding round after co-leading the company's Pre-A round.

Following the completion of this round, CIX Technology will continue its efforts in the general-purpose CPU space to accelerate the design and development of next-generation CPU chips, according to NIO Capital.

Founded in 2021, CIX Technology is focused on developing general-purpose CPUs for scenarios including personal computing, in-vehicle computing, and metaverse infrastructure.

NIO Capital's press release today does not mention the amount or valuation of CIX Technology's Series A funding.

According to CIX Technology's press release, the financing was co-led by Tongge Venture Capital, 37Games, and followed by NIO Capital as an existing shareholder.

On July 18, 2022, LatePost reported that CIX Technology closed a new round of funding of about $50 million at that time, co-led by NIO Capital and Qiming Venture Partners.

It was also CIX Technology's fourth funding round in its nine months of existence, giving it a post-round valuation of about $300 million, according to the report.

While most startups want to enter the chip manufacturing market from server CPUs, CIX Technology's first product is a computer CPU, similar to Apple's M1 chip.

CIX Technology's founder, Sun Wenjian, was the former head of AMD's customer customization division in China. He saw the time as ripe to start a business in the field of CPUs based on the ARM architecture after Apple released the M1 chip in November 2020, according to LatePost.

CIX Technology joined Linaro's Windows on Arm Group in July last year.

CIX Technology will be responsible for native Arm development, native application support and localization to help build the global Windows on Arm ecosystem, NIO Capital said in a press release at the time.

NIO Capital reportedly leads investment in local computer CPU maker CIX Technology

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US can’t yet compete with China in EV production, says Ford chairman

"They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they're exporting them," Bill Ford said.

(Image credit: Ford China Weibo)

The US is not ready to compete with China in electric vehicle (EV) production, Ford executive chairman Bill Ford said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday program.

"They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they're exporting them," Ford said, adding, "They're not here but they'll come here we think, at some point, we need to be ready, and we're getting ready."

Ford CEO Jim Farley said in May that Chinese EV makers are its main competitors in the segment and that Ford would need a unique brand or lower cost to beat them.

"I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GM or Toyota. The Chinese are going to be the powerhouse," Farley said.

China has a well-established EV industry chain that Ford is trying to tap into in its electrification transformation efforts.

On February 13, Ford announced it is investing $3.5 billion to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.

The plant, which is wholly owned by Ford, is the first battery plant in the US to be wholly owned by an automaker and will introduce LFP battery solutions for Ford's EV products.

Notably, Ford will use technology provided by Chinese power battery giant .

Ford has a new agreement with CATL, which will provide technical and service support for the production of the LFP battery plant, and Ford engineers will work on cell and vehicle integration, it said at the time.

In China, Ford appears to be scaling back its efforts on electrification, after initial attempts didn't yield the desired results.

Earlier this month it was reported that Ford was making organizational changes that would see the Mustang Mach-E team integrated back into Ford China, and that the separate entity running the program would be written off in the future.

That's because Mustang Mach-E sales were too poor for the separate company to sustain losses for long, Jiemian said on June 8, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The reshuffling of the team does not mean the Mustang Mach-E will be withdrawn from China, and the project will continue to be produced by Changan Ford, Ford's joint venture in China, according to the report.

($1 = RMB 7.1265)

Ford scaling back ambitions for Mustang Mach-E in China amid poor sales

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China auto exports expected to reach 4.4 million in 2023, over 30% to be NEVs, says Canalys

Chinese car penetration is expected to rise to 16.5 percent in Europe and 12.8 percent in Southeast Asia by 2025, according to Canalys.

China auto exports expected to reach 4.4 million in 2023, over 30% to be NEVs, says Canalys-CnEVPost

China's total vehicle exports are expected to reach 4.4 million units in 2023, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) expected to account for more than 30 percent of the total, market research firm Canalys said in a report today.

China's auto exports have been climbing since 2020, surpassing Germany as the world's second-largest exporter in 2022. In the first quarter, China surpassed Japan as the world's largest auto exporter, with growth in NEVs exports the main reason for the overall increase, Canalys said.

In April, China's vehicle exports rose 142.40 percent to 424,200 units, up 9.61 percent from March, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

In January-April, China's auto exports were 1.49 million units, up 71 percent year-on-year, according to the CPCA.

The core regions of China's auto export destinations are shifting from Africa, Central Asia and South Asia to more developed regions, including Europe and Southeast Asia, the report noted.

China's light vehicle exports to these two core regions contributed 5.9 percent and 7.6 percent of the country's vehicle exports in 2020, respectively. In 2022, the share was 22 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively, according to Canalys.

The average selling price of Chinese car exports increased from RMB 112,000 ($15,670) in 2021 to RMB 140,000 in 2022, up by more than 25 percent. In the European market, the figure was RMB 210,000 in 2022.

In 2022, Chinese automotive products had a penetration rate of 2.6 percent in the Southeast Asia region. By 2025, that figure is expected to rise to 12.8 percent, Canalys said.

In Europe, the penetration of Chinese cars is expected to rise to 16.5 percent by 2025, according to the report.

The average selling price of mainstream products in the European market is highly aligned with the average price of Chinese automotive exports, and consumers here are more aware of the NEV market, according to Canalys.

The overall light vehicle market volume in Europe and Southeast Asia is expected to grow to 13.7 million and 3.8 million units, respectively, by 2025, with NEVs penetrating more than 40 percent in Europe, Canalys said.

In 2021, the Covid pandemic caused instability in overseas supply chains and was the core reason for the growth of Chinese vehicle exports. After 2022, the growth of the overseas NEV market presents new opportunities, according to the report.

Chinese automakers have a first-mover advantage in electrification and vehicle intelligence, and have sufficient capacity and short product delivery times, Canalys said, adding that brands in other countries are lagging behind in the NEV transition and are falling short of expectations in core technology development.

($1 = RMB 7.1457)

China Apr auto exports up about 10% from Mar

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NIO testing new EC6 as its product changeover continues

The EC6 is the last remaining piece of the puzzle as switches models from the NT 1.0 platform to the NT 2.0 platform.

(Image credit: Weibo @肉肉爸比ev)

The EC6 is the last remaining piece of the puzzle as NIO (NYSE: NIO) switches models from the NT 1.0 platform to the NT 2.0 platform. Now, the revamped version of the coupe SUV may not be far from being available.

Long-time NIO follower and car blogger @肉肉爸比ev shared several pictures of the new EC6 on Weibo yesterday, saying that the model is undergoing testing.

The daytime running lights on the front of the new EC6 are the biggest difference between it and other models, the blogger noted.

On February 13, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a new batch of catalogs of models that will be allowed to be sold in China, and the new EC6 was included.

The page for the new EC6 shows that it uses the same LiDAR and camera setup on the roof as the rest of the NT 2.0-based platform, and the front and taillight designs are similar to the other latest models.

The model is 4,849 mm long, 1,995 mm wide, 1,697 mm high and has a wheelbase of 2,915 mm.

For comparison, the old EC6, based on the NT 1.0 platform, is 4,850 mm long, 1,965 mm wide and 1,731/1,714 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm.

The old EC6 was previously offered in three versions, priced at RMB 396,000 ($55,566), 436,000 and 496,000 respectively.

The new EC6 is equipped with dual motors produced by NIO's electric drive systems division in Hefei, Anhui province, with a maximum power of 150 kW and 210 kW, respectively, and can support a top speed of 200 km/h, according to the regulatory filing in February.

The two lower-priced versions of the EC6 on the NT 1.0 platform carry dual motors both with a maximum power of 160 kW, while the highest-priced version carries a maximum power of 160 kW for the front motor and 240 kW for the rear motor.

The new EC6 will support the option of retractable electric tow hooks and will be equipped with an electric rear wing.

NIO is launching new models at a very tight pace this year. The company unveiled the EC7 and new ES8 on NIO Day 2022 on December 24, 2022, with deliveries of the former already starting on April 28 and the latter due to begin later this month.

The EC7 is also a coupe SUV and is currently offered in two versions with starting prices of RMB 458,000 and RMB 548,000 respectively.

The EC7 is not the NT 2.0 version of the EC6, which is expected to offer a lower price point to meet the needs of the group that prefers this type of vehicle.

On April 18, NIO launched the 2023 ET7 and unveiled the new ES6 on the NT 2.0 platform on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

Deliveries of the 2023 ET7 began on May 20, and the new ES6 was officially launched on May 24 and deliveries began that night.

On June 15, NIO launched the ET5 Touring in China and its deliveries started on June 16.

($1 = RMB 7.1265)

Regulatory filing: NIO's new EC6 coming

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Huawei-backed AITO to launch flagship SUV M9 in Q4

The AITO M9 will be built on a new 800 V high-voltage platform, on which will place its new technologies in the cockpit and smart driving areas, according to Richard Yu.

AITO, the car brand backed by Chinese tech giant Huawei, will launch its flagship SUV, the M9, later this year, which will be its third model after the M5 and M7.

The AITO M9 will hit the market in the fourth quarter and will go beyond expectations in terms of luxury, comfort, quietness and intelligence, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's intelligent vehicle solutions business, said in a speech at an automotive industry conference in Shenzhen today.

"We have confidence that the M9 will be the most luxurious, highest-end and smartest car in the entire market," he claimed.

The AITO M9 will be built on a new 800 V high-voltage platform on which Huawei will place its new technologies in the cockpit and smart driving areas, according to Yu.

The model will be available in both an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version and a battery electric vehicle (BEV) version, he said.

The AITO M5 is currently available in both EREV and BEV versions, while the M7 is only available in an EREV version.

The M9 will be a mobile smart home, office, and mobile smart bedroom, he said, adding that Huawei has very new technologies and experiences to bring to consumers.

AITO is the premium car brand that Huawei and Seres launched on December 2, 2021. It announced the AITO M5 on December 23, 2021, and the AITO M7 on July 4, 2022.

Deliveries of the AITO M5 begin in March 2022 and the first deliveries of the AITO M7 took place on August 24, 2022.

The M5 currently has a starting price range of RMB 259,800 ($36,530) to RMB 331,800 and the M7 is RMB 289,800 to RMB 379,800.

The brand saw strong deliveries in the second half of last year, but this year has been weak.

AITO delivered 5,629 vehicles in May, up 22.77 percent from April. From January to May, it delivered 21,873 vehicles.

In his speech today, Yu gave his view of the Chinese auto industry, saying that competition will become more intense and there will be a big reshuffle in the future.

(1 $= RMB 7.1118)

AITO deliveries in May: 5,629

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