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US Tesla chief, who continues to respect Chinese makers of electric vehicles, not only met Premier Li Qiang but also came away with some good news.
After the battles over 5G, social media and advanced microchips, Chinese electric cars are the new front line of US economic warfare.
- Petrol-guzzlers played second fiddle to EVs, as some 280 fully electric and petrol-electric hybrid cars, trucks and vans were on display
- Tesla was conspicuous by its absence for a second year in a row, even as CEO Elon Musk was in Beijing as the show opened to the public
The potential launch of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system in China is expected to help widen domestic availability of such autonomous vehicle technology.
Expected granting of a licence follows CEO Elon Musk’s discussion with top Chinese officials last month, state-run newspaper China Daily reported.
The Austin-based senior vice-president had previously been based in China, heading the carmaker’s Asia-Pacific operations.
The company’s flagship EH216-S autonomous flying vehicle took off in Abu Dhabi, as part of a plan to launch commercial flights in the UAE.
US chip maker Nvidia is investing in Wayve Technologies, joining a US$1.05 billion funding round for the UK start-up that wants to get its autonomous-driving technology into cars.
The autonomous driving start-up plans to launch the L4-capable FlashBot in Shanghai this year, followed by other tier-one mainland cities. It is also seeking tie-ups in Hong Kong, Europe and North America.
To go to market with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, Elon Musk had no choice but to join a Chinese partner for a mapping licence on the mainland.
General Motors, Ford and other carmakers, which struck deals last year to give customers access to the network, said they are not changing their plans.
Eight main districts in Hangzhou including downtown Gongshu and Shangcheng, as well as Tonglu county, will be open for self-driving vehicle tests from May 1.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk cancelled his meeting with India PM Modi last week, and instead went to China to make progress towards an advanced driver assistance package.
The US carmaker has passed a test of its compliance with Beijing’s data security rules thanks to a watershed decision it says could pave the way for the removal of some restrictions on the use of its cars in mainland China.
Billionaire Elon Musk flew into Beijing on Sunday, meeting Premier Li Qiang and hoping to bring Tesla’s autonomous driving technology to China amid intensified competition with local electric vehicle makers.
Chinese electric vehicle start-up Xpeng said its partnership with AI chip supplier Nvidia has not been affected by tighter US trade sanctions, but it will keep its options open with local suppliers.
Nissan Motor unveiled four new electric vehicle models at the Beijing Auto Show and vowed to build more EV products ‘in China, for China’ in an attempt to recover lost sales.
The German carmaker, which saw its market share shrink in China last year, said it plans to launch 30 new electric cars on the mainland by 2030 as it vies to keep up with the rapid pace of electrification in the world’s largest vehicle market.
Li Auto , Tesla’s nearest rival in mainland China, reduced the price of all its vehicles by up to 5.7 per cent, just a day after the US carmaker offered discounts to local customers amid an escalating discount war.
Musk has ordered the company’s biggest lay-offs ever and staked its future on a next-generation, self-driving vehicle concept called the robotaxi. People familiar with his directives are unsettled by the changes the CEO wants to push through.
Hesai, which released new products based on its ATX technology on Friday, is seriously considering building plants outside mainland China to capitalise on the growing use of the technology, CEO Li says.
The internet giant’s Intelligent Driving Group will strive for ‘100 million yuan of revenue and 100 million yuan of profits’, unit head Wang Yunpeng writes in a letter to employees.
Banma Network Technologies, an Alibaba-backed autonomous-driving software start-up, has replaced its CEO amid an overhaul.
The Chinese electric vehicle maker has taken a significant step towards tapping the right-hand drive market after forming a partnership with Sime Darby Motors to distribute its cars in Hong Kong.
Walter Huang was killed on the way to work in 2018 when his Model X swerved off a highway near San Francisco. His family had alleged that Autopilot steered the vehicle into a highway barrier.
Xiaomi off to a flying start in EV sector with its new SU7, which is priced to take on Tesla’s Model 3 in the competitive Chinese market.
Hong Kong-listed lidar specialist RoboSense saw its losses widen last year despite higher adoption of its products by carmakers and suppliers, according to a company filing on Wednesday.
Smart technology such as autonomous parking systems and the wide availability of superfast battery charging infrastructure will drive a boom in EV sales over the next five years, according to two of the segment’s leading manufacturers.
