What do you think, a zero-sum or negative-sum game for this price war?
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Category: China
BYD begins construction of Thailand plant with annual capacity of 150,000 units
On March 10, BYD held a groundbreaking ceremony for the plant in Thailand, and the delivery ceremony for the 10,000th BYD Atto 3.
BYDDY.US | BYD HK
BYD began construction of its passenger car plant in Thailand, as it reaches a milestone in deliveries there.
On March 10, BYD held a groundbreaking ceremony for the plant in Thailand, as well as a delivery ceremony for the 9,999th and 10,000th BYD Atto 3, according to a press release.
The establishment of a passenger car production base in Thailand is one of BYD's key initiatives to accelerate its expansion into the Asia-Pacific market, said Liu Xueliang, general manager of the company's Asia-Pacific automotive sales division.
The production base project is located at WHA Rayong 36 Industrial Estate and covers an area of nearly 960,000 square meters.
The plant is expected to start production in 2024 with an annual capacity of about 150,000 vehicles.
On September 8, 2022, BYD signed a land purchase agreement with Thai industrial property developer WHA Industrial Development PLC, a subsidiary of the WHA Group, to build a passenger car production plant.
The land agreement follows a set of investment commitments approved by Thailand's Board of Investment in August, including BYD's 17.9 billion baht ($491 million) electric vehicle production project.
On October 10, BYD, together with its local partner Rêver Automotive, launched the Atto 3 in Thailand, with sales of the model officially starting in November.
BYD held a delivery ceremony on March 10 for the 9,999th and 10,000th Atto 3, its first electric SUV based on the e-Platform 3.0 platform offered in Thailand.
Notably, the deliveries appear to be wholesale sales, that is, sales delivered to local dealers.
By the end of January, the Atto 3 had 1,352 registrations in Thailand, accounting for 8 percent of the 16,672 registrations of all pure electric vehicles in the country, according to BYD.
By the end of February, 3,000 BYD Atto 3 units were registered in Thailand, according to the company.
In addition to BYD, another Chinese electric vehicle company, Neta, began construction of a plant in Thailand on March 10, although it is smaller, with an annual capacity of 20,000 units.
BYD F brand to use new powertrain, targeting market with price above RMB 400,000
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First NIO ET5 sedans arrive in Norway, deliveries set to start this month
The ET5 has become NIO's main seller in China, contributing 48 percent, 68 percent, and 53 percent of monthly deliveries in the past three months, respectively.
NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG
(Image credit: NIO)
NIO (NYSE: NIO) has seen the first batch of the ET5 electric sedan arrive in Norway, with deliveries of the model in Europe set to begin this month.
"We can confirm today that the first batch of our newest car model, the NIO ET5, has arrived in Norway," NIO said in an article in its European app.
The cars are now at Birger og Haug in Aros where they are being prepared for delivery to the first customers, according to the article.
"This will be our first car below the VAT limit," the article said.
The article does not provide more details about VAT, or Merverdiavgift (MVA) in the Norwegian language. ET7 faces a 25 percent VAT in Norway, or at least NOK 21,173.
The ET5 starts at NOK 429,000 ($40,340) excluding the battery, according to the NIO Norway website. All NIO vehicles support battery swap and allow consumers to choose to include or exclude the battery when purchasing the vehicle.
(Above is the configurator information for NIO ET5 in Norway.)
(Above is the configurator information for NIO ET7 in Norway.)
NIO introduced the ET7, EL7 and ET5 to European consumers at the NIO Berlin launch event on October 7. The EL7 is known as the ES7 in China and was renamed in Europe due to a lawsuit with Audi.
Deliveries of the ET7 started in Europe as planned in October last year, with deliveries of the EL7 starting at the end of January. The planned start date for deliveries of the ET5, announced by NIO in October last year, is the end of March.
There is no more information about the ET5 in Europe, including how many units of the electric sedan NIO has sent there.
For NIO, the ET5 has been its main seller in China for the past three months.
ET5 deliveries from December to February were 7,594, 5,795 and 6,471 units, contributing 48 percent, 68 percent and 53 percent of NIO's monthly deliveries, respectively, according to data from the company and the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) monitored by CnEVPost.
The ET5 ranked No. 7 in February in the ranking of high-end sedan sales in China with a starting price above RMB 300,000 ($43,440), according to the CPCA's list released on March 9.
The ranking dropped one spot from January, as the previously No. 7 Audi A4L outsold the ET5 with 6,935 units in February.
($1 = RMB 6.9063, $1 = NOK 10.6349)
NIO ET5 drops 1 spot in ranking of top-selling premium sedans in China
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Li Auto begins deliveries of its first 5-seat SUV Li L7
Li Auto has an internal goal of 25,000-30,000 monthly deliveries and will aim to meet the goal in the second quarter, its management said last month.
Li Auto US | Li Auto HK
(Image credit: Li Auto)
Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) began deliveries of its new SUV, the Li L7, on March 11, a month after the model was launched.
Starting today, deliveries of the Li L7 will begin in China to meet the needs of a wider segment of family customers, the company said.
With the start of deliveries of the Li L7, Li Auto further solidifies its market position in the RMB 300,000 ($43,440) - 400,000 price range as the luxury SUV brand of choice for families, it said.
Li Auto officially made the Li L7, its first five-seat SUV, available on February 8. Its other two models currently on sale, the Li L9 and Li L8, are both six-seat models.
The Li L7 is available in Air, Pro and Max versions, with starting prices of RMB 319,800, 339,800 and 379,800 respectively.
Li Auto said at the launch of the Li L7 that deliveries of the Li L7 Pro and the Li L7 Max are expected to begin on March 1, and deliveries of the Li L7Air will begin in early April.
Today's latest development means that the start of Li L7 deliveries is 10 days later than the company had planned.
Deliveries of the Li L7 Pro and Li L7 Max were the first to begin today, with deliveries of the Li L7 Air scheduled to begin in early April, Li Auto said today.
All of Li Auto's current models are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), essentially PHEVs, which are considered to have no range anxiety and therefore have a larger total addressable market.
Li Auto delivered 16,620 vehicles in February, up 9.77 percent from 15,141 in January and up 97.53 percent from 8,414 in the same month last year, according to data it released on March 1.
Li Auto guided for first-quarter deliveries of 52,000 to 55,000 vehicles when it reported fourth-quarter earnings on February 27.
The company's delivery figures for February mean it is on track to deliver 20,239 to 23,239 vehicles in March.
Li Auto management said in an analyst call after announcing its fourth-quarter earnings that the company has an internal target of 25,000 to 30,000 monthly deliveries and will aim to achieve that target in the second quarter.
April will be the first full delivery month for the Li L7 Pro and Li L7 Max, and May will be the first full delivery month for the Air product line, its management stressed at the time.
When Li Auto launched the Li L7 on February 8, it also introduced a cheaper Air version for the Li L8.
The current starting prices for the Li L8 Air, Li L8 Pro and Li L8 Max are RMB 339,800, 359,800 and 399,800 respectively.
The Li L9 is still only available in the Max version, with a starting price of RMB 459,800.
(1 $ = RMB 6.9063)
Li Auto to build charging stations at 'NIO pace', report says
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Changan Deepal SL03 price dropped by 6,000 USD in China. Starting at 21,400 USD
Deepal has dropped the SL03 sedan jointly developped with CATL and Huawei by 3,160 USD. They also offer a gift package that costs 2,880 USD.
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Neta starts construction of its first overseas plant in Thailand, with planned annual capacity of 20,000 units
Neta is building the electric vehicle assembly site with Thailand's BGAC and expects it to start production by the end of January 2024.
(Rendering of Neta's Thailand plant)
Neta, a brand owned by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) company Hozon Auto, has started construction of its first overseas factory in Thailand, having brought its vehicles to the Southeast Asian country last year.
Neta laid the groundbreaking for its plant in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 10, which will be its main manufacturing base for right-hand drive EVs for export to ASEAN, the company said today.
The plant is Neta's first overseas factory and the first in Thailand for a new Chinese carmaker.
When completed, the plant will have a capacity of 20,000 units per year and is expected to be operational by the end of January 2024, Neta said.
Neta has signed a cooperation agreement with Thailand's BGAC to jointly build the EV assembly site.
Neta plans to expand its overseas business to more regions including the Middle East and the European Union, making it a brand recognized and trusted by consumers around the world, said Zhang Yong, the company's co-founder and CEO, at a groundbreaking ceremony.
Neta is currently targeting mainly the budget EV market, with the Neta V and Neta U priced at around RMB 100,000 ($14,380) to RMB 150,000 in China.
On July 31, 2022, Neta officially launched its flagship sedan Neta S, targeting the RMB 200,000 to 300,000 market.
On August 24, 2022, Neta announced the launch of the right-hand drive version of the Neta V EV at a launch event in Thailand, as its first model to be offered there.
Neta said at the time that it already had 25 authorized dealers in Thailand, covering major Thai cities including Bangkok and those from surrounding provinces.
Neta delivered 10,073 units in February, up 41.53 percent from 7,117 units a year earlier and 67.44 percent from 6,016 units in January, according to figures the company announced on March 1.
On February 28, Neta announced that close to 100 units of the Neta U and Neta V were shipped to Jordan, the company's first exports to the Middle Eastern market.
($1 = RMB 6.9523)
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Changan’s EV brand Shenlan offers up to $6,030 discount on vehicle purchases
Shenlan is currently selling only one model, the SL03, a Tesla Model 3 competitor, with 4,103 units delivered in February.
(Image credit: Shenlan)
Shenlan, Changan Automobile's new energy vehicle (NEV) brand, is offering consumers tens of thousands of yuan in incentives to purchase vehicles as the auto price war in China continues.
Shenlan, based in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, announced today that it is offering discounts of up to 42,000 yuan ($6,030) on vehicle purchases.
The offer includes an RMB 22,000 cash subsidy and up to RMB 20,000 in option benefits.
The subsidy is valid from March 10 to March 31 and is limited to 10,000 units.
Shenlan, Changan's NEV brand announced in 2022, officially launched the Shenlan SL03 electric sedan on July 25, another strong competitor to the Model 3.
Unlike the Tesla Model 3, the Shenlan SL03 is available in three powertrain variants -- an all-electric version, an extended-range version and a version with a hydrogen fuel cell.
The Shenlan SL03 BEV currently has a starting price of RMB 189,900, lower than the Model 3's starting price of RMB 229,900 in China, and the SL03 EREV starts at RMB 171,900.
Shenlan began deliveries of the SL03 at the end of August 2022 and has delivered a total of 37,328 units as of the end of February this year, including 4,103 units last month.
On March 5, Shenlan officially unveiled its second model, the Shenlan S7, a model similar to the Tesla Model Y crossover, in Shanghai.
In addition to the Shenlan brand, Changan is offering car purchase incentives for its other sub-brands.
Changan announced yesterday that for consumers who buy any of its passenger cars and get a delivery this month, they will receive a coupon for thousands of yuan.
($1 = RMB 6.9675)
China auto price war: BMW dealers offer discounts of up to $14,360 for i3
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Li Auto to build charging stations at ‘NIO pace’, report says
Li Auto is aiming to build about 300 super-fast charging stations this year, and NIO also plans to add 10,000 new charging piles this year, according to local media.
LI.US | 2015.HK
(Image credit: Li Auto)
Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) is starting to build out its charging infrastructure as its first all-electric model is set to be launched this year.
Li Auto's infrastructure build-out will enter the "NIO pace," with the company setting a goal of building about 300 super-fast charging stations within the year, with about 10 already deployed in highway service areas, a 36kr report today said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The move is in preparation for the launch of Li Auto's first all-electric model, which will be an all-electric MPV expected to be released by the end of 2023, and ultra-fast charging will be one of the highlights of the vehicle, according to the report.
Earlier this week, one of Li Auto's under-construction 800 V charging stations was seen at a highway service area in China, sparking widespread discussion in the Chinese community.
All of Li Auto's current models are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), which are essentially plug-in hybrids. Because these vehicles can be refueled, Li Auto has not started working on charging facilities in the past few years.
By 2025, Li Auto will have built a total of 3,000 supercharging stations, at a total cost of 10 billion yuan ($1.44 billion), Li Xiang, the company's founder, chairman and CEO, said in a media event last week.
For a company with annual revenues in the RMB 100 billion range, these costs are not as high as one might think after being spread out over five years, he said.
Li Auto is very confident about the coverage of supercharging piles along highways because China has been encouraging car companies to build supercharging stations since last year, he said.
The company's supercharging stations will be open to other models built on the 800 V platform, ensuring that each of its peer brands can also charge at a high level of efficiency, according to Li.
In China, NIO (NYSE: NIO) is one of the most aggressive car companies in building charging infrastructure.
NIO announced at NIO Day late last year that the company plans to add 400 new battery swap stations in 2023.
However, on February 21, William Li, NIO's founder, chairman and CEO, said that plan was far from enough and upped it to 1,000 stations.
"We have set a new goal of adding 1,000 new battery swap stations in 2023, for a cumulative total of more than 2,300 stations by the end of 2023," Li said in an article posted to the NIO App last month.
Of the 1,000 new stations, about 400 will be located near highway service areas or highway entrances and exits. The other 600 or so will be deployed in urban areas.
The 36kr report today quotes an NIO employee as saying that in addition to its aggressive battery swap station goal, the company also plans to add 10,000 new charging piles this year.
Those additions include superchargers and destination charging piles, covering both domestic and foreign markets, according to the report.
As of March 10, NIO had 1,321 battery swap stations in China, as well as 2,383 charging stations offering 14,054 charging piles, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
In addition to Li Auto and NIO, their local counterpart XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) is also fast-tracking the construction of energy replenishment facilities.
On August 15, 2022, XPeng showcased its S4 Supercharging technology and announced the completion of its first S4 supercharger in Guangzhou, where it is headquartered.
This S4 fast charging pile has a maximum power of 480 kW, a maximum current of 670 A and a peak charging power of 400 kW, enabling the vehicle to obtain a CLTC range of 210 km in 5 minutes.
Last September 21, XPeng said at the G9 launch that it expects to add more than 500 S4 supercharging stations in 2023 and that the number will exceed 2,000 by 2025.
The reason for these aggressive moves is that there are limited site resources suitable for building such facilities.
Most highway service areas in China don't have much power redundancy, and after considering NIO's battery swap stations and State Grid's charging facilities, there aren't really many suitable site resources left, 36kr quoted an unnamed car company source as saying.
($1 = 6.9606 RMB)
NIO reveals aggressive plan to add 1,000 swap stations in 2023
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China Feb EV battery installations: Total volume up 36% from Jan, CATL share down slightly
BYD's share in February was essentially unchanged from January, while CALB's share grew significantly.
China's power battery installed base rebounded in February compared to January, though CATL's share declined slightly and CALB's share increased significantly.
In February, China's power battery installed base was 21.9 GWh, up 60.4 percent year-on-year and up 36.0 percent from January, according to data released today by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).
CATL's power battery installed base in February was 9.60 GWh, continuing to rank first with a 43.76 percent share, but down from 44.41 percent in January.
BYD installed 7.50 GWh of power batteries in February, ranking second with a 34.19 percent share, essentially unchanged from January's 34.12 percent share.
CALB saw significant market share gains in February, as the company installed 1.62 GWh of power batteries in the month, ranking third with a 7.39 percent share, up 2.46 percentage points from 4.93 percent in January.
Gotion High-tech ranked fourth with an installed base of 0.78 GWh and a 3.58 percent share in February, while Eve Energy ranked fifth with an installed base of 0.71 GWh and a 3.25 percent share.
China's ternary Li-ion battery installed base in February was 6.7 GWh, accounting for 30.6 percent of total installed base, up 15.0 percent year-on-year and up 23.7 percent from January.
The installed base of LFP batteries was 15.2 GWh, accounting for 69.3 percent of the total installed base, up 95.3 percent year-on-year and up 42.2 percent from January.
In the ternary Li-ion battery market, CATL ranked first with 65.53 percent of the total installed base of 4.40 GWh in February.
CALB and LG Energy Solution ranked second and third in the ternary battery market with 10.93 percent and 7.49 percent shares, respectively.
In the LFP battery market, BYD installed 7.50 GWh in February, topping the list with a 49.37 percent share, the second consecutive month it ranked first in this segment.
BYD's power batteries are mainly LFP batteries, which are mainly used in the company's own new energy vehicle (NEV) models.
CATL ranked second in the LFP market with 34.19 percent of the total installed base of 5.20 GWh in February.
CALB and Gotion High-tech ranked third and fourth in the LFP battery market with 5.84 percent and 4.82 percent shares, respectively.
CATL's share in global EV battery market slips in Jan, BYD rises
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China NEV sales at 525,000 units in Feb, up 28.7% from Jan, CAAM data show
In January-February, China's vehicle sales decreased by 15.2 percent year-on-year while NEV sales increased by 20.8 percent year-on-year.
China saw new energy vehicle (NEV) sales of 525,000 units in February, up 55.9 percent year-on-year and up 28.7 percent from January, according to data released today by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
The CAAM figures are wholesale sales by vehicle companies, where NEVs include battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and fuel cell vehicles.
China generated sales of 376,000 BEVs in February, up 43.9 percent year-on-year. PHEV sales were 149,000 units, up 98.0 percent year-on-year. Sales of fuel cell vehicles were 40 units, down 77.5 percent year-on-year.
Sales of all vehicles in China were 1.976 million units in February, up 13.5 percent year-on-year and up 19.83 percent from January.
This means that the penetration rate of NEVs in China by the CAAM figures was 26.6 percent in February, up 1.9 percentage points from 24.7 in January.
Production of NEVs in China was 552,000 units in January, up 48.8 percent year-on-year and up 29.9 percent from January.
Production of all vehicles in China in January was 2,032,000 units, up 11.9 percent year-on-year and 27.5 percent from January.
It is worth noting that last year, February 1-6 was the New Year's holiday, which caused disruptions to sales and production at that time. This year, that holiday was January 21-27.
Because the Chinese New Year holiday fell in the same month last year and in January this year, and some local governments introduced policies to boost auto consumption last month, China's auto production and sales increased significantly in February, the CAAM said.
In February, 329,000 vehicles were exported from China, up 82.2 percent year-on-year and up 9.4 percent from January.
Among them, exports of NEVs were 87,000 units, up 79.5 percent year-on-year and up 5.3 percent from January.
In January-February, China's vehicle sales were 3.625 million units, down 15.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the CAAM.
NEVs sold 933,000 units in January-February, up 20.8 percent year-on-year, with a market share of 25.7 percent.
In the first two months, sales of models priced at RMB 150,000 ($21,540) to RMB 250,000 and those priced at RMB 350,000 to RMB 500,000 increased year-on-year, while sales of models in other price segments declined.
For conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, sales of models in the price range of RMB 300,000 to RMB 350,000 increased year-on-year in January-February, while sales of models in all other price ranges declined.
($1 = RMB 6.9624)
Full CPCA rankings: Top-selling models and automakers in China in Feb
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