Musk will visit Giga Shanghai a potentially meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang
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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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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.
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Buick Electra E5 gets over 8,000 orders in less than 2 weeks after launch in China
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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.
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Musk once laughed at BYD, but now thinks 'their cars are highly competitive'
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"That was many years ago. Their cars are highly competitive these days," Musk said.
A video of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk laughing when asked about BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) in an interview has sparked widespread discussion on social media from time to time.
Now, as the video has sparked renewed buzz on Twitter, Musk has responded.
"That was many years ago. Their cars are highly competitive these days," Musk said in a May 27 reply below a video shared by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley on Twitter.
That was many years ago. Their cars are highly competitive these days.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 27, 2023
In a 2011 interview, a Bloomberg host mentioned that Tesla began to have competitors, such as BYD, which was ramping up.
Musk laughed at those words and asked the host if she had seen BYD's cars.
Musk's reaction at the time was understandable; after all, BYD was just a Chinese car company targeting the lower end of the market in 2011 and was far less well-known than it is now.
Even in 2019, BYD's annual sales of only 461,400 units across all models are nowhere near the 2 million sales of SAIC Volkswagen in the same year.
BYD saw explosive sales growth in 2021 and stopped production and sales of vehicles powered entirely by internal combustion engines in March 2021.
BYD sold 1,863,494 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2022, up 208.64 percent from 603,783 in 2021.
For comparison, Tesla delivered 1,313,851 vehicles worldwide in 2022, up 40.38 percent from 935,950 in 2021.
In the first quarter of the year, BYD sold 547,917 passenger NEVs, up 92.81 percent year-on-year, including 264,647 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 283,270 plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).
Tesla's vehicles were all BEVs, delivering 422,875 units in the first quarter, up 36.39 percent year-on-year.
Ford CEO Jim Farley expressed similar opinions on May 26, calling Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers its main competitors in the segment.
Farley said that China has some of the best battery technology and is dominating EV production at the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Finance Summit.
He used BYD as a prime example of a Chinese automaker that has successfully developed and sold EVs, first in China and now in Europe.
"I like BYD. Totally vertically integrated, aggressive … very, very impressive company. And they were always committed to electric," Farley said when asked which company was doing the right thing in making EVs.
Tesla delivers 39,956 vehicles in China in Apr, exports 35,886 units from Shanghai plant
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Filed under: Green,Ford,Tesla,Green Automakers,Green Culture,Electric,Future Vehicles
Continue reading Tesla's Superchargers will open to Ford EVs in spring 2024
Tesla's Superchargers will open to Ford EVs in spring 2024 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 May 2023 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsThe Baojun Yep is available in two versions, with the pricier one equipped with a smart driving system developed by SAIC-GM-Wuling with drone maker DJI.
(Image credit: SAIC-GM-Wuling)
SAIC-GM-Wuling today officially launched its new electric vehicle (EV), the Yep, the latest addition to its line of mini EVs.
The Yep is available under SAIC-GM-Wuling's Baojun brand in two versions, starting at RMB 79,800 ($11,290) and RMB 89,800 respectively.
The Baojun Yep looks somewhat similar to the Suzuki Jimny, and SAIC-GM-Wuling said the model uses the Square Box design language to target the needs of younger customers.
The length, width and height of the Baojun Yep are 3,381 mm, 1,685 mm and 1,721 mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,110 mm.
For comparison, the Hongguang Mini EV, another SAIC-GM-Wuling model, measures 3,059 mm in length, 1,521 mm in width and 1,614 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,010 mm.
The Baojun Yep is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a peak power of 50 kW and a peak torque of 140 Nm.
The model has a battery pack capacity of 28.1 kWh and a CLTC range of 303 km.
It supports fast charging and can go from 30 percent to 80 percent in 35 minutes.
The Baojun Yep with a starting price of RMB 89,800 is equipped with the Lingxi intelligent driving system announced in August 2022 by SAIC-GM-Wuling and DJI Automotive, the automotive division of drone manufacturer DJI.
The system is based on SAIC-GM-Wuling's "Emotion Engine" concept, which focuses on urban mobility scenarios, SAIC-GM-Wuling previously said.
The Lingxi intelligent driving system takes advantage of DJI's technological strengths in the field of binocular cameras and is based on the latter's algorithms in the field of vision perception and experience in vision perception systems for drones.
SAIC-GM-Wuling's 2023 Baojun KiWi EV is the first model to use the system.
Equipped with the Lingxi system, the Baojun Yep allows users to turn on intelligent driving with a single click, enabling functions including obstacle recognition and response, and intelligent speed regulation in curves.
The model is also equipped with smart parking assist, which enables full-scene automatic parking.
Baojun previewed the model on May 9, when it also shared images and a video of the two-door pickup version of the Yep.
SAIC-GM-Wuling is a joint venture between SAIC Group, General Motors and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile, headquartered in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China.
It sells vehicles based on the GSEV (Global Small Electric Vehicle) architecture in China, including the Mini EV, KiWi EV, Nano EV, and Air EV. In addition to these pure electric models, SAIC-GM-Wuling also sells fuel-powered SUVs, MPVs, and vans.
In the small EV segment, in addition to the hot-selling Mini EV, SAIC-GM-Wuling launched the mini EV Air EV in China last December and the Binguo EV at the end of March this year.
Notably, SAIC-GM-Wuling has seen a decline in NEV sales so far this year, while other major NEV makers in China have seen sales growth.
In January-April, SAIC-GM-Wuling's NEV retail sales were 111,604 units, down 15.9 percent from 132,658 units in the same period last year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
As a comparison, BYD saw sales increase 81.3 percent year-on-year to 702,608 units and Tesla China grew 61.5 percent year-on-year to 177,385 units during this period.
In an effort to boost sales growth, SAIC-GM-Wuling began allowing consumers to pay only for the body and rent the battery when purchasing the Mini EV on May 11, lowering the purchase threshold to RMB 19,800.
On May 22, SAIC-GM-Wuling announced a price cut of up to RMB 13,000 for the Hongguang Mini EV family, saying the move was in response to China's call to promote NEV consumption in rural areas.
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Filed under: By the Numbers,Porsche,Tesla,Fuel Efficiency,Green Culture,Green Driving,Electric
Continue reading Tesla Model X is the most-driven EV, Porsche Taycan stays parked
Tesla Model X is the most-driven EV, Porsche Taycan stays parked originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 May 2023 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Tesla offers China-made electric vehicles for sale in Canada
Tesla offers China-made electric vehicles for sale in Canada originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 May 2023 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tesla vehicles registered 10,200 insurance units in China last week, bringing the number to 26,118 for the first three weeks of May.
Li Auto founder, chairman and CEO Li Xiang said last week that they had been complained about by some of their peers and therefore could not continue to share the weekly insurance registration numbers.
Interestingly, however, the company resumed sharing those numbers today to continue to show that it leads the pack among Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) startups.
For the week of May 15 to May 21, Li Auto sold 7,100 units, far outpacing other new car brands and reigning as the weekly sales leader for new automaking brands in the Chinese market, the company said today on Weibo.
Li Auto did not explain on what basis the sales were counted, but apparently, they were insurance registrations.
Li Auto surpassed all other traditional luxury brands except Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi to remain in the top five luxury brands in the Chinese market in terms of sales, the highest-ranked Chinese brand on the list, it said.
In the first two weeks of May, Li Auto vehicles had 4,543 and 6,670 insurance registrations, respectively. This means that from May 1 to May 21, Li Auto sold about 18,313 vehicles.
The tables Li Auto shared today show that NIO vehicles had 1,400 insurance registrations last week. This means that NIO had 3,700 insurance registrations for the first three weeks of May.
NIO deliveries continue to be curbed by the upcoming launch of the new ES6, with insurance registration figures of 1,100 and 1,200 in the first and second weeks of May, respectively.
NIO will officially launch the new ES6 on May 24, and its deliveries will start on May 25.
The company is getting the ES6 to market with unprecedented delivery efficiency, and as of May 20, the new ES6 show cars were available at nearly 300 NIO stores in 92 cities.
XPeng registered 1,500 insurance units last week, the same as the previous week. In the first three weeks of May, XPeng vehicles had 3,870 insurance registrations.
XPeng deliveries were also dampened by the new model G6, which is expected to officially launch and begin deliveries at the end of next month.
Insurance registrations for Tesla vehicles in China were 10,200 last week, bringing the figure to 26,118 for the first three weeks of May. The number was 5,928 and 9,990 in the first two weeks of May.
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