Musk will visit Giga Shanghai a potentially meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang
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Category: China
Blue Bird, the largest taxi operator in Indonesia: Most EVs will be purchased from BYD this year
The company may purchase 500 EVs this year. About 80% of the EVs will be BYD, including BYD E6 and BYD T3.
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Die another day: Hengchi 5 resumed production in the Tianjin plant
Hengchi 5 will be a valauble collector's item one day, the most adventurous story off all EVs.
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Indonesia’s largest taxi operator to buy 80% of its EVs from BYD
Most of the 500 EVs to be delivered to Blue Bird this year will be filled by BYD, particularly the E6 and T3 models, an executive with the Indonesian company said. BYDDY.US | BYD HK
(A 2018 file photo shows the BYD E6 as taxis in China. Image credit: BYD)
BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) will be the main supplier of Indonesia's largest taxi operator's electric vehicle (EV)fleet, as the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) giant continues to expand in overseas markets.
PT Blue Bird will buy 80 percent of its EVs from BYD while reviewing its Tesla orders as lower-cost models win out in the country, Bloomberg said in a report today.
Most of the 500 EVs to be delivered to Blue Bird this year will be filled by BYD, especially the E6 and T3 models, because they are better suited to the Indonesian market, its President Director Sigit Priawan Djokosoetono said in an interview.
"If the price is too expensive, it would be unreasonable for us to then charge it to customers, so we need to consider this," he said, adding, "We use a lot of imported BYD models as the price is supportive for us to operate in Indonesia."
It is worth noting that this is not the first time BYD has supplied EVs to Blue Bird.
On April 22, 2019, Indonesia released an electric taxi trial program in which Blue Bird first introduced the BYD E6 as its all-electric taxi, according to a previous BYD press release.
BYD sold 210,295 NEVs in April, up 98.31 percent from 106,042 units in the same month last year and up 1.55 percent from 207,080 units in March, according to data released earlier this month.
The company stopped production and sales of vehicles powered entirely by internal combustion engines in March last year and switched to focus on producing plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles.
In April, BYD sold 14,827 NEVs in overseas markets, up 11.38 percent from 13,312 units in March.
From January to April, BYD sold 53,550 units in overseas markets, according to data monitored by CnEVPost. The company first announced its overseas sales figures for NEVs in July 2022.
On May 25, BYD signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia at its Shenzhen headquarters aimed at exploring the potential for investment in Indonesia, particularly in the EV sector, according to a statement from the Southeast Asian country.
"The signing of this MoU reflects the importance of future steps in realizing the ambition for electric vehicles in Indonesia. We want to develop the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia to become the largest automotive market in Southeast Asia, and we appreciate BYD's initiative to further explore these opportunities," said Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment.
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Buick begins delivery of Electra E5 electric SUV in China
The Electra E5 received more than 8,000 orders after 12 days on the market, Buick previously said.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Buick Electra E5 -- the brand's first model based on GM's Ultium platform -- has begun deliveries in China, where the electric SUV's aggressive pricing previously gave it a good initial reception.
SAIC-GM, a joint venture between GM and SAIC, said on Monday that the first deliveries of the Electra E5 have begun, but did not announce the number of vehicles delivered.
Buick will improve its energy replenishment system by adding nearly 1,000 Ultium supercharging terminals by the end of this year, and is on track to reach more than 400,000 charging posts provided by mainstream operators, SAIC said.
(Image credit: SAIC-GM)
Orders for the Electra E5 have continued to grow in different regions since its launch, and SAIC-GM's Ultium plant in Wuhan will optimize production scheduling to meet more consumer demand, the company said.
The model, officially launched in China on April 13, is a mid-to-large-size five-seat SUV with a length of 4,892 mm, a width of 1,905 mm and a height of 1,655 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.
The Electra E5 is available in five versions with starting prices of RMB 208,900 ($29,530), 222,900, 225,900, 239,900 and 278,900 respectively.
That pricing is very aggressive for an electric SUV of that size.
BYD's Tang EV starts at RMB 282,800 and measures 4,900 mm in length, 1,950 mm in width and 1,725 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,820 mm.
The Tesla Model Y, the best-selling electric SUV in China, measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,921 mm in width, 1,624 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,890 mm, and it currently has a starting price of RMB 261,900.
On April 25, Buick announced that the Electra E5 received more than 8,000 orders after 12 days on the market.
Of those who ordered the Electra E5, 78 percent opted for versions priced at RMB 225,900 and 239,900, Buick said at the time.
($1 = RMB 7.0739)
Buick Electra E5 gets over 8,000 orders in less than 2 weeks after launch in China
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French auto parts maker Valeo to invest in Didi’s autonomous driving unit
Valeo and Didi Autonomous Driving will set up a joint R&D team to work on safety systems for L4 robotaxis.
(Image credit: Didi)
French auto parts maker Valeo will invest in Didi Global's autonomous driving division to bet on the fast-growing segment in China.
On May 29, Valeo and Didi Autonomous Driving entered into a strategic partnership and investment agreement in which Valeo intends to invest in the latter and will jointly develop safety solutions for L4 robotaxis.
Valeo and Didi revealed the development in their respective press releases but did not mention the amount of the planned investment.
"Today, we are proud to sign this agreement to invest in DiDi Autonomous Driving and join our R&D efforts to develop safety solutions," Geoffrey BOUQUOT, Valeo Executive Vice President Strategy and CTO, said.
Valeo and Didi Autonomous Driving will form a joint R&D team to work on safety systems for L4 robotaxis.
To provide additional safety to users, Valeo and Didi Autonomous Driving will complement the main system of L4 standard technology with another set of hardware and software that will enable robotaxi to navigate autonomously and safely, according to their press releases.
This Automated Safety Pilot will provide redundancy for the primary system in the event of a sudden failure, as well as customized safety features designed for specific operating scenarios.
The customized intelligent safety solution will be able to take over and control the robotaxi to perform actions that ensure the safety of passengers and other road users.
This intelligent safety solution will initially be deployed on Didi Autonomous Driving's L4 robotaxis, according to their press releases.
Didi's autonomous driving team was founded in 2016, and the ride-hailing giant opened its first overseas AI lab in California in March 2017.
In 2019, Didi began ramping up its bet on autonomous driving, upgrading its autonomous driving division to a standalone company on August 5, 2019.
On April 13, Didi unveiled its driverless concept vehicle Didi Neuron at its autonomous driving open day event, eliminating the driver's seat and expanding the passenger space compared to Didi's first custom car, the D1, which was released in 2020.
Didi's autonomous driving team reached nearly 1,000 people, which is a threefold increase from 2020, Didi Autonomous Driving COO Meng Xing said at the time.
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Ultium-based Buick Electra E5 started deliveries in China
First Buick's electric car hits the market. Max CLTC range 620 km.
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Nio ES6 Gen2 received 90 pre-orders per store in the first 72 hours in China
Nio ES6 previous generation is responsible for 40% of all Nio sales so there are big expectations for Gen2.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk expected to visit China this week, report says
Musk is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials and tour Tesla's Shanghai factory, according to Reuters.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is expected to visit China this week, Reuters said in a report today, citing three people familiar with the matter.
Musk is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials and tour Tesla's Shanghai factory, two of the sources said, according to the report.
It's unclear who Musk will meet with and what they will discuss, the report noted.
A Reuters report on March 31 said Musk planned to visit China as early as April and seek a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The Tesla CEO last visited China in January 2020, when he showed off a dance during the delivery of Tesla's first China-made Model 3 electric vehicles (EVs).
China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States, and its Shanghai plant is the EV maker's largest production center, producing the Model 3 sedan as well as the Model Y crossover.
For all of 2022, the Chinese market contributed $18.1 billion in revenue to Tesla, or 22 percent of its $81.5 billion in total revenue, according to its 10-K filing with the SEC on January 31.
The US market contributed $40.6 billion in revenue, or 49.8 percent, to Tesla in 2022.
For the full year 2022, Tesla delivered 1,313,851 vehicles worldwide, up 40.38 percent from 935,950 in 2021.
The EV maker delivered 439,770 vehicles in China in 2022, contributing 33 percent of the year's deliveries, data monitored by CnEVPost show.
Tesla's Shanghai plant produced 727,000 units in 2022, up 49.7 percent from a year earlier, Chen Kele, deputy director of intelligent manufacturing promotion division at Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, said earlier this month.
Tesla's Shanghai plant had an industrial output of 183.9 billion yuan ($26 billion) in 2022, which accounts for 23 percent of Shanghai's auto manufacturing output, driving 1.3 percentage points of local industrial output growth, Chen said.
Shanghai will further deepen cooperation with Tesla to promote the EV maker's businesses including self-driving, and robotics in Shanghai, he said at the time.
From January to April, Tesla delivered 177,385 vehicles in China, up 61.54 percent year-on-year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Tesla's Shanghai plant exported 127,779 vehicles in January-April, up 72.97 percent year-on-year.
In addition to its EV business, Tesla is bringing its other major business -- energy storage -- to China.
Tesla signed a deal with Shanghai's Lingang authorities on the afternoon of April 9 to build a new Megafactory in the area, which will be dedicated to producing Tesla's energy storage product Megapack, according to a previous announcement from Lingang's special area administration.
The Megafactory will be Tesla's first energy storage system factory outside its US home market, with an initial planned annual production of up to 10,000 units of commercial energy storage batteries and an energy storage scale of nearly 40 GWh, with products to be supplied to the global market.
The factory is scheduled to start construction in the third quarter of this year and put into operation in the second quarter of 2024.
($1 = RMB 7.0761)
Musk once laughed at BYD, but now thinks 'their cars are highly competitive'
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Neta opens global headquarters in Shanghai
Neta delivered 11,080 vehicles in April and is targeting sales of 300,000 units in 2023.
(Image credit: Neta)
Neta Auto, Hozon Auto's electric vehicle (EV) brand, has opened its global headquarters in Shanghai as it attempts to create a more premium brand image.
Neta's global headquarters in Shanghai's Putuo district has officially opened with functions including strategy planning, resourcing, decision-making, and coordination of the company's global operations, according to a press release today.
The facility is also Neta's flagship experience center, research and development center, data center, and service center, it said.
Models including the Neta S, Neta GT, Neta U-II, and Neta V are being showcased at the facility.
Neta was founded in 2014 and previously had a Shanghai headquarters in the city's Minhang district, but no global headquarters, according to its website. The company has a design center in Beijing and a factory in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province.
Neta has been seen as a budget EV maker since its inception, as its vehicles are priced primarily at the lower end of the market, with the Neta V and Neta U priced at around 100,000 yuan ($14,130).
Neta's flagship sedan, the Neta S, is its first effort at the premium end of the market, with the model primarily targeting the RMB 200,000 to 300,000 price range.
The Neta GT sports car was launched on April 18 with a starting price of RMB 178,800 to RMB 227,800.
Neta delivered 11,080 vehicles in April, which was up 25.72 percent from 8,813 units in the same month last year and up 9.84 percent from 10,087 units in March, according to data released by the company on May 1.
Neta S delivered 2,237 units in April, up 1.41 percent from 2,206 units in March, according to the company.
Neta has a sales target of 300,000 units in 2023, local media China Securities Journal reported on February 7.
The EV maker has sales of 152,073 units in 2022, up 118 percent year-on-year, including 3,456 units delivered overseas, according to data it previously announced.
($1 = RMB 7.0768)
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