China
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The new owners of the Fisker luxury car brand will resume production of the Karma range-extended electric sedan initially at a contractor's factory in Finland--but not until the company has fixed "about 250 bugs" in the vehicle. The news came as executives of Wanxiang, China's largest auto parts maker and now the owner of both Fisker and its battery supplier, A123 Systems, toured the U.S. last week and conferred with officials in several states. DON'T MISS: Who's Still Buying Brand-New Fisker Karmas, And Why? As reported by industry trade journal Automotive News [subscription required]...
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1.2 Billion Vehicles On World's Roads Now, 2 Billion By 2035: Report
Calculating the total number of motor vehicles on the planet is an inexact science, but the number is growing rapidly. The automotive trade journal Ward's Auto had estimated that the total crossed 1 billion vehicles sometime during 2010. DON'T MISS: It's Official: We Now Have One Billion Vehicles...
John Voelcker -
First RHD Tesla Model S Electric Cars In Asia Delivered In Hong Kong
Right-hand drive Tesla Model S electric cars have already begun to trickle out in the United Kingdom, but now they're hitting the Asian markets too. The first Asian right-hand drive Model S have now been delivered to the first eight customers in Hong Kong. MUST SEE: Decoding Toyota's Electric-Car...
Antony Ingram -
Has China 'Messed Up' Its Electric-Car Charging Standards?
Recent electric car news from China might lead you to believe things are finally on the up, after years of poor sales and uncertainty. There is still though one major hurdle the country needs to overcome before electric cars are fully viable--charging standards. It's an issue debated in every...
Antony Ingram -
China To Mandate One-Third Of Government Vehicles Be Plug-Ins
China is continuing its march of electric car progress with the announcement that 30 percent of all government vehicles should be plug-ins. Battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell cars will all be eligible under the plan, set to be phased in over the next two years. According to...
Antony Ingram -
Chinese Tesla Owner Buys 20 Charging Stations, Seeks Sites On Social Media
A Chinese businessman pays for 16 electric-car charging stations between Beijing and Guangzhou.
Stephen Edelstein -
After a slow start, electric cars could take another step forward in China as the country decides to waive its 10 percent purchase tax on the vehicles. It's the latest effort by the country's policymakers to address China's pollution and energy independence issues. Electric car sales have been abysmal in China while those in the U.S, Europe and Japan have taken off over the last few years. Even though China has long offered healthy subsidies against the purchase of electric cars (up to $18,400 in some cases), consumer concerns over price, convenience and reliability have resulted in...
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Tesla Motors Facing Copyright Lawsuit In China
Tesla is once again facing copyright issues over its name in China, up against a trend the industry knows as "trademark trolls". When Tesla first made plans to sell cars in China, it came up against a businessman called Zhan Baosheng. Zhan had trademarked the Tesla name for automotive back in 2006...
Antony Ingram -
Beijing Angles For More EVs: 1,000 Fast Chargers, Wiring Mandate For Buildings
Beijing hopes to spur electric-car adoption with a massively-expanded charging infrastructure.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla In China: Discovering Local Quirks And Fixing Issues
China is a tricky but potentially lucrative market to conquer. Automotive brands all around the world want a piece of the action given the potential rewards, but the market is still quite different to others around the globe. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is one such automaker giving the Chinese market...
Antony Ingram -
2016 Chevrolet Cruze: Interior Photos Revealed For China Launch
Chevy reveals the interior of the next-generation Cruze ahead of its launch in China.
Stephen Edelstein -
Battery Maker Boston Power Gets $250 Million Investment From China
Tesla CEO Elon Musk's announcement that the firm is planning to build a battery 'gigafactory' confirmed something we all knew would happen eventually--more electric cars means greater demand for batteries. U.S.-founded battery firm Boston-Power knows this too, and plans to expand its own operations...
Antony Ingram -
Aston Martin Racing is collaborating with Chinese solar-panel maker Hanergy on a green air-conditioning system.
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Rumor: Long-Wheelbase Tesla Model S Coming Later This Year?
The Tesla rumor mill is never quiet for long, and the latest one suggests that the company is developing a long-wheelbase version of its Model S sedan, specifically for the Chinese market. Tesla Motors just recently launched in China, obviously a key market for it and every other automaker, and one...
John Voelcker -
BMW: China Biggest Electric Car Market By 2019, i3 On Sale Soon
BMW has become the latest in a growing list of automakers to put its faith in the Chinese electric car market. The Chinese automobile market is huge: 18 million passenger cars alone were sold in 2013. That's ten times that of similarly-populated India, and around 2.4 million more than were sold in...
Antony Ingram -
China To Ban 6 Million Gross Polluters From Roads In Smog Fight
China will step up enforcement of emissions standards, removing 6 million of the worst-polluting vehicles from its roads.
Stephen Edelstein -
Success Or Bust For Fisker's New Chinese Owner
Throwing money at a problem won't necessarily make it go away, but it might put you in a position to do something about it. That's essentially the method Fisker's new Chinese owners Wanxiang Group is taking to revive the once-bankrupt electric automaker--and the stakes are high. "I’ll burn as...
Antony Ingram -
China Push For Lower Emissions: Smaller, More Efficient Engines, Mild Hybrids
Tougher fuel economy standards may make mild hybrids and small turbocharged engines more common in China.
Stephen Edelstein -
If China's plans to limit license plate availability were designed to cut car buying, they're not exactly working so far. Anticipating further restrictions to cut car use--in the midst of choking pollution in many of China's cities--car sales rose a full 13 percent last month. According to Bloomberg, retail deliveries of cars, multi-purpose and sport utility vehicles topped 1.5 million units in April. Several large Chinese cities have announced plans to restrict license plate quotas, in an effort to reduce traffic and airborne pollution. Predictably, this has led to tens of thousands of...
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China Leans On Automakers To Produce Electric Cars, But Infrastructure Lags
It seems that China is facing the old "chicken and egg" dilemma, as it ramps up its push for electric car sales growth. The country wants to encourage electric car use, and is pushing automakers to sell them--but so far, the country's infrastructure lags far behind. As the ChinaEV blog notes, it's...
Antony Ingram -
Daimler, BYD's Denza Brand Reveals First Electric Car In China
As Tesla has confirmed with its recent decision to set up production in China, the Chinese market is impossible to ignore. Most major automakers already have operations out there, and electric and hybrid vehicles are on the list for many of them. One of those is Daimler, the company behind...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Will Build Electric Cars In China; Model S On Sale There This Week
We've expected it for some time, but now it's been confirmed: Tesla will build electric cars in China in the next three to four years. While Chinese production won't replace the company's facilities in the U.S, it will give Tesla a foothold in an ever-growing market--and help it avoid China's hefty...
Antony Ingram -
U.S. To Stay Global First In Vehicle Miles Driven, Says Futurist
The U.S. may no longer be a car-sales leader, but it may continue to lead the world in miles driven.
Stephen Edelstein -
Audi A6 e-tron Plug-In Hybrid To Be Sold In China
The Audi A6 e-tron plug-in hybrid is based on the A6 L e-tron concept from the 2012 Beijing Motor Show.
Stephen Edelstein