Automotive News Summary

Domestic News

Changchun Accelerates "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" Construction with a Three-Year Plan to Invest 12.7 Billion Yuan

On July 16, Changchun initiated the construction of the "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration", planning to invest 12.7 billion yuan over the next three years to comprehensively create typical demonstration application scenarios for transportation hubs, urban roads, expressways, and highways. During the pilot period, the city will build 1,400 new 5G base stations, achieve a 96% coverage rate of RSU (Road Side Units) in the built-up area, and a 99% networking rate for traffic signals; the production of L2 and above vehicles is expected to exceed 1.5 million, with 70% of Hongqi brand L2 level "Vehicle-Road-Cloud" autonomous driving vehicles; the front-end loading rate in the public domain is expected to reach 70%, with 14,500 retrofits; the private passenger car retrofit is expected to reach 20,000.

Shenzhen's New Energy Vehicle Penetration Rate Reaches 77.4% in June

According to the Shenzhen Municipal Government's official website on July 17, as of June 2024, the motor vehicle ownership in Shenzhen is about 4.263 million, of which new energy vehicles reach 1.08 million, accounting for more than a quarter. In the first half of this year, the city promoted 109,000 new energy vehicles, with the new car penetration rate increasing to 72.6%, and the new car penetration rate in June reached 77.4%, which means that about 77 out of every 100 newly registered cars in Shenzhen are new energy vehicles, setting a historical single-month high.

Zhangzhou's Smart Connected Vehicle Road-Cloud Integration Application Demonstration Project Approved

On July 16, Zhangzhou's smart connected vehicle road-cloud integration application demonstration project was approved by the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The Fujian Provincial Investment Project Online Approval Supervision Platform shows that the project (legal person) unit is Zhangzhou Xingzheng Information Technology Co., Ltd. Business information indicates that the latter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujian local state-owned assets.

International News

EU's Temporary Anti-Subsidy Tax Vote on Chinese Electric Vehicles: 12 Countries in Favor, 4 Against, 11 Abstentions

According to Reuters on the 16th, the EU's written opinion on the temporary anti-subsidy tax against Chinese electric vehicles resulted in 12 EU member states in favor, 4 against, and 11 abstentions. Germany, Sweden, and Finland abstained. Hungary and three other countries voted against. France, Italy, Spain, and 12 other countries voted in favor. This vote is not binding but is forward-looking.

Tesla Plans to Mass-Produce 4680 Batteries with Dry Electrode Technology by the End of the Year

Industry news, Tesla plans to mass-produce 4680 batteries with fully dry electrode technology by the end of the year, which will be the "complete version" of the 4680 battery. The design of the dry cathode 4680 battery has been finalized recently, which is a step before mass production. Tesla's battery department will then focus on improving production yield and efficiency, and expanding production capacity. The 4680 battery is the core of Tesla's competitiveness in the next generation of products, and the dry cathode is the core of the 4680. Since the project was established, Tesla has spent 5 years on this project.

US Plans to Release Proposed Rules for Chinese Connected Cars in August

According to Reuters, Alan Estevez, the head of export control at the US Department of Commerce, said that the Department plans to release proposed rules for connected cars in August and is expected to impose restrictions on some software made by China and other countries considered competitors. Estevez said that the Department is studying some components and software, not the whole car, these key driving components of the car manage software and peripheral data of the car, which must be made by allies.

Plug Power and Renault Have Been Approved by the EU to Jointly Acquire HyVia to Develop Hydrogen Energy Electric Vehicles

Plug Power and Renault have been approved by the European Commission to jointly acquire HyVia, to produce fuel cell light commercial vehicles, and to provide hydrogen fuel supply stations. The two companies previously signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture in France, each holding half of the equity, with the goal of occupying 30% of the European fuel cell light commercial vehicle market share. As part of the joint venture, Renault and Plug Power will establish an innovation center. The joint venture will also establish a vertically integrated manufacturing center in France and build hydrogen stations across Europe.

Corporate News

News Says Huawei's Car BU Half-Year Revenue Nearly 10 Billion Yuan; Exceeds the Total of the Past Two Years

Industry news, as of the beginning of July this year, the revenue of Huawei's intelligent car solution BU in 2024 has reached 10 billion yuan. Compared with previous years, Huawei's car BU revenue has doubled. Huawei's annual report shows that in 2022-2023, the annual revenue of Huawei's car BU was 2.1 billion and 4.7 billion yuan respectively, and the revenue of Huawei's car BU in just half a year has exceeded the total of the past two years. In response to this, Huawei said that it involves financial report information, it is recommended to take the official published authoritative information as the standard.

China Mobile, Changchun Municipal Government, China FAW Group, and National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Research Institute Sign a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement for the "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" Pilot City Construction in Changchun

On July 16, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. and Changchun Municipal People's Government, China FAW Group Co., Ltd., and National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Beijing) Research Institute Co., Ltd. held a signing ceremony for the "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" pilot city construction strategic cooperation framework agreement in Changchun, Jilin. The four parties will actively strengthen exchanges and communication to jointly promote the application work of the "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" pilot city construction in Changchun.

NIO Energy and Hongmeng Zhixing Reach a Charging Service Cooperation Agreement

On July 17, NIO Energy and Hongmeng Zhixing officially reached a charging service cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, Hongmeng Zhixing users can use the Hongmeng Zhixing App, AITO App, and the car machines of Wenjie, Zhijie, and Xiangjie to find and use NIO Energy charging piles across the country, and the charging experience and efficiency have been comprehensively upgraded. Before this, NIO Energy has cooperated with Chang'an, Geely, FAW, and other official announcements.

GAC Aion's Thailand Factory Put into Operation with an Annual Capacity of 50,000 Vehicles in the First Phase

On July 17, GAC Aion's Thailand intelligent factory was officially completed and put into operation, and the first global strategic model, the second-generation AION V, was launched globally. The first phase of GAC Aion's Thailand intelligent factory has an annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles, and it will gradually expand to 100,000 vehicles in the future, which can achieve the co-production of multiple GAC Aion models such as the second-generation AION V, AION Y Plus, and Haobai HT.

Lei Jun Says Xiaomi's Car Making Originated from a "Crisis Event"

On July 16, Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi Group, previewed the fifth annual speech on his personal Weibo, saying that he would disclose the origin and the story of Xiaomi's car making in more than three years. Lei Jun said that many people know that Xiaomi's car making originated from a special crisis event.

Avita Refutes the Rumor of Abandoning the Direct Operation Model