BMW Group has appointed Benjamin Nagel as managing director of BMW Group's importer markets in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, effective Sept. 1, 2026. He will succeed Raymond Tan Chor Ann, who will become managing director and CEO of BMW Group Malaysia.

A quality scandal is spreading around lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries made by China Aviation Lithium Battery (CALB). Ride-hailing and taxi versions of GAC Aion's Aion S have suffered cell swelling, electrolyte leakage and insulation failures, an issue estimated to affect more than 210,000 vehicles. CALB was adopted by automakers such as GAC as an alternative to Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL), the world's largest battery maker, as part of a broader industry effort to reduce reliance on a single dominant vendor. The current crisis is now sparking backlash against that diversification strategy.

Xpeng is transforming into a physical AI supplier over the next 10 years, with robotaxi, humanoid robots, and flying cars as its three core product lines, chairman Xiaopeng He told Automotive News. The company also aims to move beyond the carmaker label and adopt a Tier 1 supplier model, working with operating partners around the world to build a business model that can be replicated globally.

Sumitomo Chemical plans to begin mass production of a halide-based solid electrolyte in Japan as early as fiscal 2028, positioning the material as a potentially lower-cost option for all-solid-state batteries while seeking performance comparable with leading sulfide-based electrolytes, Nikkei reported.