China’s carmakers are pulling ahead of their Japanese and European rivals with advanced technologies in artificial intelligence and electric vehicle charging, eyeing an eventual entry into the US market. Volkswagen chairman Oliver Blume was spotted at the booth of Chinese EV maker Xpeng on the first day of this year’s Beijing Auto Show. He was listening intently to Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng, who was talking about the just-announced GX SUV, said to be capable of the equivalent of Level 4 autonomo...

Chinese electric vehicle battery makers increased their dominance to a global share topping 70% last year, up from less than 50% in 2021, while South Korean competitors struggle in the US market. Industry leader Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) offers a range of EV and plug-in hybrid vehicle batteries at various price points. Customers include major Chinese automakers and a growing number of European car companies like Volkswagen and the Mercedes-Benz Group. Net profit grew 42% in 2025 to...

Malaysia’s largest carmaker, Perodua, rolled out its first homegrown electric vehicle, the QV-E, on December 1. The QV-E is positioned as a national milestone in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s drive to localize EV technology, expand domestic supply chains, and reduce reliance on foreign automakers. The sportback EV, in development since 2023 at a cost of MYR 800 million (USD 194 million), uses a lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery manufactured by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (C...

Indonesia’s electric vehicle battery industry is increasingly relying on Chinese companies including Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) as other investors withdraw amid a slowing EV market and changes in technology, potentially leaving it with vast nickel reserves it may find difficult to build an integrated EV supply chain. At a groundbreaking ceremony for a CATL battery plant in Karawang, West Java, on June 29, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the collaborative project between...