Chinese automaker Chery plans to open its European HQ and R&D center in Liverpool. The strategic signal matters more than the location. This is not just expansion — it’s industrial localization. As Europe tightens trade rules and EV scrutiny, Chinese automakers are responding by moving engineering, compliance, and potentially manufacturing closer to the market. Reports…
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China Auto 2026: Rising Costs, Value Takes the Lead
China Auto 2026: Rising Costs, Value Takes the Lead • Vehicle costs up ¥4,000–7,000 due to chips & materials. • Some brands raise prices or cut discounts; overall price competition easing. • High-end brands lowering prices, but most domestic brands not following. • In the ¥200k–400k segment, especially premium EVs, domestic brands’ value is forcing…
How Toyota avoided the EV chaos that trapped many legacy OEMs
Toyota is often criticized for being “late” to EVs. That criticism misses the point. Toyota didn’t fall behind.It refused to panic. While many legacy automakers rushed into EVs after 2020, rewriting software stacks, reorganizing engineering teams, and burning capital, Toyota did something unfashionable: It protected its system. Here’s what Toyota did differently 👇 1️⃣ It…
China Proposes New Limit: No Passenger Car Should Do 0–100 km/h Faster Than 5 Seconds
Recently, China’s Ministry of Public Security released a draft of the updated National Safety Technical Requirements for Motor Vehicle Operation. ✅ One highlight is drawing major attention: Passenger cars, upon every startup, must default to an acceleration mode no faster than 5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. In other words, even if a vehicle…
Some OEMs are cutting corners on testing
In today’s “6-month refresh, 1-year full upgrade” development cycle, one uncomfortable truth is emerging in the automotive world: some OEMs are cutting corners on testing. Environmental validation, durability runs, high-altitude testing — these are not “nice to have.” They are the foundations of product safety. Yet under extreme time-to-market pressure, they’re often the first to…
China Just Took a Major Step Toward Level 3 Autonomous Driving
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has conditionally approved L3 (conditionally automated driving) vehicles for production, marking a historic milestone for the industry. Changan Automobile and BAIC BluePark Magna are among the first automakers to receive approval under China’s vehicle product access regulations. Why this matters:• This is product approval, not a pilot…
The “Uncomfortable Truth” About China’s EV Industry
At the recent ORA preview event, Great Wall Motors Chairman Wei Jianjun made a brutally honest statement: “The government can’t keep funding you forever. Only parents do that for their kids — but isn’t that basically ‘living off your parents’?” One word — “living off your parents” — perfectly captures the current state of many…
Xiaomi Just Hit 500,000 Cars. And It Changes the EV Game
On November 20, Xiaomi reached a milestone that would have sounded impossible just a few years ago: the 500,000th Xiaomi car rolled off the line at the Beijing Yizhuang Super Factory. From Car #1 to Car #500,000, it took Xiaomi only 1 year and 7 months—about 602 days. According to industry data, this is the…
I Finally Realized Why Only One Chinese Founder Became a True Icon
A few months ago, I was rewatching one of Lei Jun’s early product launches. The one where he was nervous, stiff, and got laughed at by half the internet. But something struck me: Most founders would hide after that.Lei Jun didn’t. He came back on stage again. And again.And again.Until suddenly—people weren’t laughing anymore. They…
As someone who works for Detroit’s Big Three but drives an LS430…
When I first bought the car, a few colleagues teased me. “Why not drive one of our own?” they asked. Fair question. But the truth is, the LS430 taught me something I couldn’t learn just from working inside the industry – It taught me what timeless engineering really feels like. Every time I close the…