Daimler AG announced last week that Li Shifu, the founder of Chinese automaker Geely, had acquired almost 10 percent of the shares in the company. Li didn't buy 9.7 percent of Daimler all at once; the outspoken CEO has been accumulating shares on the open market since last fall. The German...Read More»
As the age of self-driving cars steadily approaches, the demand for high-definition maps will outpace even the need for search engines. That’s the line of thinking, anyway, from Baidu, China’s largest search company and the country’s chief rival to Google. The company’s...Read More»
Chinese automotive startup Lynk & Co is reportedly looking to build cars in the U.S. A top contender for an assembly plant location is Ridgeville, South Carolina, where the automaker’s parent company, Geely, conveniently owns another plant that is getting ready to produce Volvos...Read More»
China’s Vehicle Technology Service Center has announced a large-scale stop-sale of various gas guzzling cars, including some that are effective January 1st. The move is part of the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to curb pollution and promote electric vehicles. All told, carmakers...Read More»
The Chinese automaker that builds cars under the Trumpchi name says it's gearing up to sell its cars in the U.S. by the end of 2019. The move would make GAC, Trumpchi's parent company, the first Chinese automaker with a U.S. market presence. But don't look for the Trumpchi name—which...Read More»
Chinese company Tencent, which owns a 5 percent stake in Tesla, is developing its own self-driving technology separate from the California electric car builder's AutoPilot system. According to Bloomberg's sources, the company is in the prototype stage with its autonomous technology. If the news is...Read More»
China may relax strict rules requiring foreign automakers to partner with Chinese companies before building electric vehicles within its borders. If such a change occurs, it carries potentially large ramifications for most of the world’s car manufacturers. As the government pushes for an...Read More»
![Jeep Yuntu concept, 2017 Shanghai auto show [photo: Ronan Glon]](https://static.hgmsites.net/images/cache/jeep-yuntu-concept-2017-shanghai-auto-show-photo-ronan-glon_100600524_151x113.jpg "Would the U.S. really let Fiat Chrysler sell Jeep to Great Wall?")
A week ago, we learned that Chinese automaker Great Wall is very, very interested in purchasing Jeep from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. If Great Wall were to make a formal offer, there are perfectly good reasons that FCA might accept it (e.g. moolah) or reject it (e.g. more moolah from another...Read More»
In the UK and in China, Ford is working to put motorists behind the wheels of cleaner, more efficient automobiles--though it's going about it in two different ways. Asian electrification In China, the Detroit automaker has announced a budding partnership with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co., a...Read More»
For nearly three years (and maybe longer), Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has been looking for a pal, a partner to help him improve the FCA lineup and lay a strong foundation for the company's future. After being rebuffed and left-swiped by a handful of potential soulmates, he may have finally...Read More»
With every passing day, Faraday Future's name seems increasingly ironic. Troubles have been brewing at the U.S.-based, Chinese-backed electric car start-up for more than a year, with very little good news to break up the bad. The latest headline involves the company's founder, Jia Yueting, who's...Read More»
When you hear the phrase "Chinese electric car startup", you probably think of Faraday Future, an ironically named enterprise with no past and diminished future prospects. But Faraday is far from the only Chinese company that's set its sights on the electric car market. At last count, there were at...Read More»
A government-owned Chinese car company will take to the main show floor at next week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit with three new cars. No, you can't buy one—at least not yet. GAC, the automaker exhibiting in Detroit, isn't currently allowed to sell cars here and it's...Read More»
Here in America, the president-elect has spent plenty of time talking about his plans for de-regulation. Across the Pacific, however, there's no sign that China has any such intention of scaling back government oversight. In fact, Beijing regulators are now gearing up to fine General Motors 201...Read More»
Update: see below Over the weekend, Tesla Motors tidied up its Chinese-language website. Although the company says that the edits have been in the works for a while, the timing is a bit suspicious. That's because the changes appear to come in response to a recent fender-bender in Beijing that...Read More»
The past several months have been a roller coaster for Tesla, full of ups (e.g. the debut of the upcoming Model 3) and downs (e.g. ho-hum responses to CEO Elon Musk's "Master Plan Part Deux"). Unfortunately for Tesla fans, it's time for another down moment: the automaker has confirmed another crash...Read More»
Most automakers have seen moderate U.S. sales growth in 2016. The stats are even better in other countries, and there's no slowdown in sight. That raises a number of questions, including: how long until the global auto industry reaches the magic number of 100 million sales per year? The answer...Read More»
Tesla isn't the only company with an urge to merge today: ride-sharing powerhouse Uber plans to merge its operations in China with the market-dominating Didi Chuxing. Details of the plan came from Didi Chuxing, which will own Uber's brand and data in China. Under the terms of the merger, Uber China...Read More»
Uber is on a quest to take over the world of transportation. Phase one of the company's efforts let car owners double as taxi drivers, using Uber's popular ride-hailing app. In China, the company is now moving on to phase two, where, quite literally, the sky's the limit. Before the end of the year...Read More»
