Category: China

Tesla’s lower-priced model coming with planned annual capacity of 4 million units, report says

's lower-priced model will be a smaller version of the Model Y, and the EV maker is building a capacity plan for it of up to 4 million units a year, a new report said.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is planning capacity for a lower-priced model, though it's not the one previously rumored to be priced at $25,000, according to a new report.

The model will be a smaller version of the Model Y, for which Tesla is building an annual capacity plan of up to 4 million units, Chinese media outlet 36kr said in a report today, citing sources.

This is an early capacity strategy, and Tesla is signaling to the industry chain that the 4 million units of capacity will be spread across its factories located around the world, according to the report.

Tesla's North American plants will take on 2 million units of capacity, with the Monterrey, Mexico, plant providing the bulk of the capacity. Its factories in Berlin, Germany, and Shanghai will each take on 1 million units, the report said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the company's 2020 Battery Day that electric vehicles priced at $25,000 will be possible by 2023.

Although rumors of the lower-priced model have popped up from time to time over the past few years, it has never become a reality.

For an electric vehicle with a range of no less than 400 kilometers and a mainstream smart driving suite, material costs are extremely difficult to get below RMB 150,000 ($25,000), the 36kr report said, citing an engineer from a local car company.

Depending on the factory's construction schedule, mass production of Tesla's $25,000 model may not come soon, at least more than a year away, the report said, citing a source.

If Tesla can bring the price of its electric vehicles down to slightly more than RMB 100,000, not only will it gain significant market share for itself, but it will also be a huge push for the maturation of the industry chain, an industry source said, adding that this is when the smart electric vehicle industry will see drastic changes.

Tesla delivered 422,875 units worldwide in the first quarter, up 36.39 percent from 310,048 units in the same period last year and up 4.34 percent from 405,278 units delivered in the fourth quarter, according to its announcement on April 2.

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y delivered 412,180 units worldwide in the quarter, and Model S and Model X were 10,695 units.

In China, Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. It is the largest Tesla factory in the world, with an annual capacity of about 1.1 million units per year.

Tesla does not reveal its deliveries in China, although the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) publishes these numbers every month.

Tesla's deliveries in China in January and February were 26,843 and 33,923, respectively, and its Shanghai plant exported 39,208 and 40,479 units in the two months, according to the CPCA. March figures are expected to be available in the next few days.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk planning visit to China, report says

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Meituan CEO Wang Xing cuts holdings in Li Auto

Wang Xing has cashed out HK$420 million in the past half month by cutting his stake in , but remains the NEV maker's largest external shareholder.  |  Li Auto US | Li Auto HK

Li Auto's (NASDAQ: LI) largest external shareholder is cutting holdings as the new energy vehicle (NEV) maker continues to see strong delivery performance.

Wang Xing, co-founder and CEO of Chinese food delivery giant Meituan, has cut his stake in Li Auto's Hong Kong-traded shares six times in the past half month and cut his holdings in the automaker's US-traded ADRs three times, according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange document.

Since March 21, Wang has cashed in about HK$310 million from his cuts in Li Auto's Hong Kong shares and about $14.07 million ($110 million) from his cuts in the automaker's ADRs, for a total of about HK$420 million.

Wang, a non-executive director of Li Auto, saw his stake in Li Auto drop to 22.35 percent after those reductions, still the automaker's top outside shareholder.

After Wang's move generated a lot of attention, Li Auto tried to downplay it.

It was a personal move by Wang, representing a very small percentage of his stake in Li Auto and not involving Meituan's holdings, local media Cailian reported yesterday, citing a response from the carmaker.

It is worth noting that Wang also reduced his stake in Li Auto several times at the end of March last year.

On March 29 and March 30, 2022, Wang cashed in about HK$210 million by reducing his holdings in Li Auto's Hong Kong and US shares.

Wang was one of the earliest backers of Li Auto, leading the car company's Series C funding round in 2019 with a personal contribution of up to $285 million.

In June 2020, Li Auto received $550 million in Series D funding, $500 million of which was led by Meituan.

At the time of Li Auto's US IPO, Meituan subscribed $300 million and Wang personally subscribed $30 million.

Wang and the entities he controls own a total of 22.82 percent of Li Auto, the automaker's 2022 interim report showed.

Li Auto delivered 20,823 vehicles in March, the second time it has exceeded 20,000 after last December, figures it released on April 1 showed.

The deliveries were the second highest for a single month since Li Auto's inception, after a record high of 21,233 vehicles last December.

Li Auto delivered 52,584 vehicles in the first quarter, up 65.8 percent year-on-year and up 13.53 percent from the fourth quarter of last year.

Li Auto was down 3.85 percent to HK$93.7 in Hong Kong at press time. The company is up about 11 percent so far this year in Hong Kong.

($1 = HK$7.8490)

Li Auto delivers 20,823 vehicles in Mar, up 25% from Feb

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China auto sales sluggish on consumer sentiment, improvement expected in Q2, says Deutsche Bank

Price wars have now become the consensus among investors, setting a relatively low bar for EV makers to beat.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Low consumer sentiment in the wake of the Covid wave has led to weak auto sales in China, though the situation is expected to see relief in the second quarter, and the launch of new models and lower lithium carbonate prices are also encouraging, according to Deutsche Bank.

The underlying cause of sluggish auto sales in China can be mostly attributed to consumer sentiment. After a quick Covid reopening, consumers prioritized spending on services but reduced purchases of durable goods, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said in a research note sent to investors today.

In the first two months of the year, China saw a 12 percent year-on-year increase in the dining and lodging sector, and spending on food, clothing, jewelry and even furniture also increased, the team said, adding that the only exceptions were cars and smartphones, with the former falling 13 percent year-on-year.

In addition, as automakers cut prices, consumers felt more compelled to wait for better deals, the team said.

Price wars are now the consensus among investors, which has set a relatively low bar for electric vehicle (EV) makers to beat, the team said.

"In particular, and XPEV will see a clear sales/margin trough in 1Q followed by a large upswing from new model launches and lower lithium carbonate prices (4-6% points gross margin tailwind)," the team wrote.

Looking ahead, Deutsche Bank's China macro team believes consumer spending on durable goods should normalize in the second half of this year.

The job market is expected to improve due to a strong recovery in the service sector, and the real estate market is also on track to recover, benefiting from substantial excess household savings and favorable lending policies, according to the note.

These could lead to an increase in consumer confidence, which in turn could lead to a recovery in spending on cars and other consumer durables.

While the price war initially focused on EVs, traditional internal combustion engine automakers have also begun offering big promotions to clear their inventories, especially for vehicles that do not meet China's new emissions standards.

As a sign of the height of the price war, there were reportedly Toyota dealers offering a free gasoline car with the purchase of its bZ4x EV, which has been suffering from sluggish demand. Volkswagen has also cut prices on internal combustion engine and EV models in its lineup, the team noted.

This has led to an even more challenging pricing environment that should last at least through the end of April, Yu's team said.

"Ultimately, we expect weaker players to get squeezed out of the market (e.g., Enovate, Leap Motor, WM) and more stable pricing to emerge," the team wrote.

For the second quarter, the team continues to see industry volume growth and has raised its NEV retail sales forecast from 1.65 million to 1.75 million, implying a 32 percent quarter-on-quarter increase, a 49 percent year-on-year increase, and a 35 percent penetration rate.

Here's the team's take on the performance of the major EV makers that have already announced March deliveries.

March OEM recap

Li Auto delivered 20,823 vehicles (+25% MoM, +89% YoY), below our forecast. However, this still translated to nearly 20% market share of the 300-500k RMB premium SUV market in China. The new L7 five-seat SUV began deliveries in March and will see volume grow sequentially.

The company exited the month with 299 retail stores and 318 servicing centers.

NIO delivered 10,378 units (-15% MoM, +4% YoY), below our forecast. De-stocking of older 866 gen-1 models seems to be nearing an end.

Additionally, a face-lift is coming for the ET7 which is likely suppressing demand for that model. NIO exited the month with 1,339 battery swap stations and 1,285 fast charging stations.

XPeng delivered 7,002 units (+17% MoM; -55% YoY), below our expectations. P7 did sell 3,030 units though, representing a 32% sequential improvement. The P7i face-lift should help volume in 2Q as management expressed confidence in the initial order book.

also began the rollout of the first part of its XNGP high level ADAS platform in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, enabling city pilot capabilities for its newest models.

Initially, the systems will still use HD mapping but this will be phased out in 2H23 allowing the full capabilities of XNGP to work in greater number of cities.

The company believes its software perception running on XNET deep neural network training will allow it to reduce reliance on HD mapping which only a few large cities have available.

delivered 6,663 vehicles (+22% MoM; +271% YoY).

NIO delivers 10,378 vehicles in Mar, down 14.6% from Feb

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Tesla launches CyberVault wall connector in China

CyberVault is compatible with the entire model lineup, with a maximum charging current of 32 A and a maximum power of 7 kW.

(Image from Tesla China website)

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) today officially launched the CyberVault in China -- a "new member" it teased last week -- as a home wall connector.

Tailored for the Chinese market, the CyberVault charger weighs 13 kilograms and is styled using the Cybertruck design language, Tesla writes on the description page of its China website.

The product allows for the integration of a protective outer case and charging device to meet consumer demand for safety, affordability, aesthetics and durability, according to Tesla.

Here is a video about the CyberVault shared by Tesla on Weibo.

The CyberVault is a charging device that works at 220 V and is compatible with the entire Tesla model line, with a maximum charging current of 32 A and a maximum power of 7 kW, according to the page.

The device includes a charging cable of 6 meters in length and supports plug-and-charge, timed charging and on-time departure functions.

It is worth noting that users can remove the charger body from the box and use it as a mobile charging connector after purchasing a dedicated 8A adapter, according to Tesla.

The CyberVault installation service package costs RMB 5,500 ($800) and includes the device as well as installation services.

The dedicated 8A adapter costs RMB 499 and provides about 1.8 kW of charging power when used with the CyberVault, according to Tesla's China website.

($1 = RMB 6.8861)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk planning visit to China, report says

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NIO reaches 20 million battery swap service milestone

's battery swap stations now provide over 45,000 services per day.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

(Image credit: NIO)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) today saw its cumulative battery swap service reach 20 million, with an average of 45,000 services provided daily.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker announced the milestone today on its mobile app, just 273 days, or nine months after it saw its 10 millionth battery swap service on July 4 of last year.

It took the company 1,506 days, or more than four years, to see its first 10 million battery swap services provided.

On February 5, more than 60 percent of the power NIO provides to owners was provided through battery swap stations, and the facility has become a favorite way for NIO customers to replenish their vehicles, it said.

Currently, NIO's battery swap stations provide an average of more than 45,000 services a day, which equates to an average of one NIO vehicle receiving a fully charged battery from these stations every 1.9 seconds.

The 20 million battery swap services can support more than 5,106 million kilometers of driving and reduce carbon emissions by about 550,286 tons, the company said.

NIO's battery swap stations not only provide vehicles with fully charged batteries but also allow owners to easily upgrade their battery packs.

To date, NIO has provided 63,136 battery upgrades to customers, allowing them to continue to enjoy the benefits of battery technology advancements, the company said.

As of today, NIO has 1,327 battery swap stations and 2,442 charging stations in China, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.

The company's goal is to add 1,000 battery swap stations this year, bringing the facility to 2,300 in China by the end of 2023.

The aggressive infrastructure goal is one of the ways to boost sales, and the company's co-founder and president, Qin Lihong, said in a recent interview with local media that the company hopes swap stations will serve partly as showrooms in less developed cities.

On April 1, William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, reiterated that the company's of battery swap station network is open to other brands and compared the service to cloud services.

NIO's battery swap stations have a good degree of adaptability and the time has come to offer their output to the outside, Li said.

NIO's battery swap network open to other brands, just like cloud service, says William Li

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BYD chairman calls on China to extend NEV tax exemption until 2025

The world economy is currently in a difficult period of complexity and change, and dealing with risks and challenges requires firm confidence and stable expectations, Wang said.  |  BYDDY.US | HK

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

China's purchase tax exemption for new energy vehicles (NEVs) expired at the end of last year and has been extended until the end of this year. Now, calls are starting to emerge for the policy to be renewed.

Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY), suggested in an April 1 speech at the China EV 100 Forum that China should extend the NEV purchase tax exemption to 2025, hoping the move would be fast-tracked to stabilize expectations, according to a video replay seen by CnEVPost.

Before 2023, China's policies to support the NEV industry include purchase subsidies as well as exemptions from purchase taxes.

NEV purchase subsidies have been reduced each year over the past several years on a set schedule and were completely withdrawn when they expire at the end of 2022.

The NEV purchase tax exemption originally expired at the end of 2017, but was renewed until the end of 2020 before it expired, and in March 2020, China renewed the policy until the end of 2022. Last year, the policy was renewed again until the end of 2023.

The world economy is currently in a difficult period of complexity and change, and dealing with risks and challenges requires firm confidence and stable expectations, Wang said, adding that many overseas countries are increasing their fiscal support for NEVs.

China's purchase subsidies for NEVs were withdrawn at the end of last year, and the exemption of NEV purchase tax has been clarified to continue until the end of this year, Wang noted.

Considering the long development cycle of NEVs, from product development and design to cost management, long-term arrangements need to be made, so he hopes the NEV purchase tax exemption policy will be extended, according to Wang's speech.

In addition to Wang, Meng Xia, head of sales for Volkswagen China, also suggested at the China EV 100 Forum event that China should extend the purchase tax exemption for NEVs beyond 2023 and develop a relatively stable policy framework.

It is worth noting that with the rapid growth of NEV penetration, the continued extension of the purchase tax exemption for such vehicles would mean a bigger loss in government tax revenue.

For the full year 2022, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 5.67 million units, up 90 percent year-on-year and accounting for 27.6 percent of all new passenger vehicle sales, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) in January.

In February, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 439,000 units, up 61 percent year-on-year, contributing 31.6 percent of all passenger vehicle sales.

In the future, as the ownership of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles shrinks dramatically, the shortfall in national tax revenue will need to be filled by a tax system for electric vehicles, the CPCA said in a report released on August 9, 2022.

Taxing electric vehicles at the point of purchase and use and even at the point of retirement is a definite trend, the CPCA said at the time.

BYD aims to sell at least 3 million vehicles this year

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Lithium carbonate prices likely to fall below RMB 100,000, says chairman of battery maker Farasis Energy

Lithium prices continue to fall in China today, with the average price of industrial-grade lithium carbonate falling below RMB 200,000 per ton for the first time in the current down cycle.

Lithium carbonate prices likely to fall below RMB 100,000, says chairman of battery maker Farasis Energy-CnEVPost

A Chinese battery maker's chairman believes lithium carbonate prices could even fall below RMB 100,000 ($14,530), with the battery raw material not seeing a single day of gains this year.

In 2022, the supply and demand for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide were actually in balance, and there was a lot of hype behind the price surge, Farasis Energy's chairman Wang Yu said in an interview during the China EV 100 Forum yesterday, according to Yicai's report.

Based on this situation this year, the price of lithium carbonate is expected to drop rapidly, Wang said.

Lithium carbonate prices have already dropped to RMB 250,000 per ton and are expected to drop further, to below RMB 100,000 is very likely, he said.

Lithium carbonate prices in China continued to fall today, with the average price of industrial-grade lithium carbonate falling below 200,000 yuan per ton for the first time in the current down cycle.

Battery-grade lithium carbonate fell RMB 12,500 per ton today to an average price of RMB 232,500 per ton, while industrial-grade lithium carbonate fell RMB 10,000 per ton to an average price of RMB 195,000 per ton, according to figures from Mysteel monitored by CnEVPost.

Lithium carbonate resources are not in short supply, and the raw material is not very difficult to produce now, and the industry will return to its normal operations, Wang said.

The actual cost of lithium carbonate per ton is around RMB 30,000, and there is no reason for it to go up to RMB 500,000 or 600,000, he said.

The automotive and battery industries contributed at least RMB 100 billion in profits to the lithium industry last year due to rising raw material prices, Wang said.

At one point in late November last year, battery-grade lithium carbonate was quoted at RMB 590,000 per ton in China, about 14 times the average price of RMB 41,000 per ton in June 2020.

Since then, lithium carbonate quotes have continued their downward spiral, and have not seen a single day of gains this year.

The price of lithium carbonate depends on demand and supply, as well as the price sensitivity of car companies, Wang said.

In the past, new energy vehicle (NEV) sales have soared, and car companies have lost a lot of money to complete their performance, he said, adding that for many automakers, they may cut production if raw material prices do not meet expectations this year.

In addition, the mass production of sodium-ion batteries has already caused an impact on the lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide industries, Wang said.

On February 23, battery maker Hina Battery unveiled three sodium-ion battery cell products and announced a partnership with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC), which made one of its models the first to carry sodium-ion batteries.

Farasis Energy's sodium-ion batteries will also enter mass production this year and will be used in the short term for budget models with a range of up to 300 kilometers and in the medium term for models with a range of up to 500 kilometers, Wang said.

Farasis Energy installed 0.19 GWh of power batteries in China in February, ranking No. 9 with a 0.88 percent share, according to data released last month by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).

Lithium carbonate prices likely to fall below RMB 100,000, says chairman of battery maker Farasis Energy-CnEVPost

($1 = RMB 6.8844)

Analysts explain how falling lithium carbonate prices affect EV costs

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