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Sunday 20 September 2026
BYD plans four Europe factories as EU tariff pressure rises

BYD is planning four factories in Europe over the long term as it works to meet local manufacturing rules and expand its customer base. The Chinese electric vehicle maker wants three vehicle assembly plants and one EV battery plant, according to company adviser and former Fiat Chrysler executive Alfredo Altavilla.

Thursday 17 September 2026
Column: China tightens rare earth controls, exposing hidden vulnerabilities in Taiwan's supply chain
China's rare earth export controls are changing the rules governing global critical mineral supply chains. For Taiwan, the real concern is not that China could suddenly halt all exports one day, but that export licensing, end-use reviews, price volatility, longer lead times, and "hidden dependencies" embedded in intermediate materials and components could gradually raise the cost and uncertainty of maintaining normal production.
Wednesday 16 September 2026
EV batteries cannot simply power humanoid robots, with energy density and costs posing key hurdles
Power battery technology has reached maturity in the new energy vehicle (NEV) market, but transferring it to humanoid robots presents two major barriers: the need for significant technological upgrades and the difficulty of spreading costs across a market characterized by low-volume, highly customized demand.
Tuesday 15 September 2026
Tesla's rare-earth-free Cybercab challenges China's grip on EV magnets
With Tesla's EV ambitions growing amid a years-long push toward full electrification, the deployment of the Cybercab has emerged as a major experiment testing the boundaries of autonomous driving.
Tuesday 15 September 2026
Tesla sets up Vietnam unit as VinFast dominates

Tesla has established a subsidiary in Vietnam as it prepares to enter the local market. Reuters reported that filing documents show the unit is registered in Ho Chi Minh City with capital of US$3 million.

Tuesday 15 September 2026
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs builds flagship Taiwan pavilions at international expos to boost auto parts exports
The world's largest automotive aftermarket trade fair, Automechanika Frankfurt, was held in Germany from September 8 to 12. Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Taiwan is an important supplier to the automotive aftermarket, with 324 Taiwanese companies participating in this year's show, the third-highest number of exhibitors worldwide. To help Taiwanese businesses expand overseas, Taiwan will participate in several major international trade shows in 2026.
Tuesday 15 September 2026
South Korean firms hold 80% of the automotive OLED market
South Korean panel makers command about 80% of the automotive OLED market, according to Sigmaintell, as electrification and smarter vehicles keep demand for car displays stable and drive growth in new applications such as head-up displays. Competition is set to intensify as China's LCD makers press into higher-end automotive screens.
Tuesday 15 September 2026
China reshapes cockpit display race, set to produce 84% of global AR-HUDs by 2031

S&P Global Mobility senior research analyst for connected cars and user experience in Asia-Pacific Quan Zhang shared the latest forecasts for the cockpit display and head-up display (HUD) markets.

Monday 14 September 2026
China's OLED expansion narrows South Korea's auto, IT panel lead
China's OLED supply push is gathering pace, with BOE Technology Group (BOE), TCL China Star Optoelectronic Technology and Visionox rapidly expanding production and closing in on South Korean rivals. South Korean companies still hold an edge in OLED for smartphones and TVs, but their room to grow in IT devices and automotive OLEDs is likely to narrow.
Monday 14 September 2026
Hiroca revenue jumps 35% as auto summer slowdown fades

Hiroca reported August consolidated revenue of NT$503 million (approx. US$16.0 million), up 35.81% from a month earlier and 10.19% from a year earlier. Cumulative consolidated revenue for January–August 2026 reached NT$3.4 billion, slightly up 0.25% from the same period in 2025.

Friday 11 September 2026
Why Chinese automakers' aggressive push only further tightens CATL's grip
Supply diversification has long been a recurring — and difficult — issue confronting the high-tech manufacturing ecosystem. But efforts to diversify component and materials sourcing have proved particularly challenging for automakers, which remain tied to a relatively concentrated upstream battery market.
Friday 11 September 2026
CIOE 2026: Automotive optical-module demand could rival FTTx shipments by 2030
Automotive optical-module demand could approach the scale of the established FTTx market by around 2030 as increasingly data-intensive vehicles shift high-bandwidth connections from copper to fiber, according to Bai Qiang, deputy director for the automotive market at Xiamen UX IC Co. (UXIC).
Thursday 10 September 2026
Cheap, energy-dense, difficult to tame: LG Energy Solution pushes LMR closer to EVs
The appeal of lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) batteries has long rested on a difficult proposition: delivering relatively high energy density without carrying the same material costs associated with cobalt-heavy battery chemistries.
Thursday 10 September 2026
Global PMX sees semiconductor parts shipments strengthen
Global PMX, a major maker of automotive power and safety components, said August consolidated revenue rose to NT$802 million (approx. US$25.4 million), up 33.50% year on year and extending the company's growth momentum from July. The company said order visibility for semiconductor products now stretches through 2027, as AI server liquid-cooling parts and high-end semiconductor components ramp up.
Thursday 10 September 2026
Confidence in Germany's auto repair sector slips, even as demand hits record high
The auto repair industry in Germany is facing a contradiction: confidence among industry players has been falling, even though the sector as a whole is seeing repair demand rising alongside average vehicle age, while workshop utilization is at a five-year high.
Wednesday 9 September 2026
China Rapidly Expands OLED Production to Target South Korea’s Market Share
South Korea's long-standing dominance in the global display market is facing an aggressive challenge as major Chinese panel makers—including BOE, China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT), and Visionox—rapidly expand their organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production capacity. While South Korea maintains a firm lead in mobile and TV displays, industry analysts warn that a massive volume offensive from China threatens to erode South Korea's footing in fast-growing sectors, particularly IT devices like laptops and tablets alongside automotive displays.
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Getac sees growing drone orders, with 2027 revenue contribution reaching up to 12%
Getac Holdings is expanding aggressively into drone opportunities on the back of its strong industrial rugged computer foundation, making the segment a continued growth driver in the second half of 2026.
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Indonesia bets on a full EV supply chain as BYD opens its Subang plant

Indonesia's industry minister said the country has the resources to build a complete domestic electric vehicle chain, speaking in Subang, West Java, on September 3, as BYD inaugurated an IDR16 trillion assembly plant, joining the Chinese carmaker's operating plants in Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Brazil.

Tuesday 8 September 2026
Kian Shen eyes stronger 3Q26 on chassis, lightweight frames, Lean3
Taiwan's Kian Shen is counting on chassis, lightweight panel frames, and the Lean3 electric vehicle to drive growth, with third-quarter 2026 performance expected to improve from the previous quarter as July returned to profitability and non-operating income provided additional support.
Monday 7 September 2026
Kian Shen lifts Taiwan mix as China exports gain traction
In a two-part strategy to drive growth, auto components maker Kian Shen Industrial, a division of Yulon Motor Group, is ramping up its Taiwan business while shifting its China-based investments toward export markets. According to company president Chiung-chih Tseng, China accounted for a substantial share of Yulon's profits in the past, but heated competition in the Chinese market is pushing the parent group to rely more on its core businesses in Taiwan, while its China-based investments turn toward exports.
Monday 7 September 2026
SiliconAuto pushes AI chiplets as automotive SoC ties tighten
Taiwanese automotive microcontroller (MCU) maker SiliconAuto showcased its products at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, with CEO Gene Liu saying the company is now spotlighting AI chiplet architecture for automotive and industrial edge AI as carmakers seek more flexible chip designs.
Friday 4 September 2026
China speed hits brakes as regulators tighten safety rules
The global auto industry is being jolted by "China speed," as Chinese regulators move to slow an extreme race to launch vehicles that has crossed quality and safety red lines. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and other watchdogs have launched special enforcement actions and tightened rules to prevent carmakers from sacrificing safety in the rush for speed.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Commentary: Malaysia wants foreign automotive investment to leave more behind
The 2026 Global Automotive and Technology Expo (GATE 2026), held August 26-28 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, was ostensibly about the future of mobility. But the stronger message from the three-day event was about something more fundamental: Malaysia wants foreign automakers to build an industrial ecosystem, not simply sell cars.
Monday 31 August 2026
Commentary: Malaysia's China dilemma sits at the heart of GATE 2026
The 2026 Global Automotive and Technology Expo (GATE 2026) closed on August 28 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur. It highlighted Malaysia's contradictory but pragmatic stance toward China in the auto sector. Over the three-day event, the main story for ASEAN's auto industry was not a new car or new technology. It was Malaysia's balancing act around the "China factor."
Saturday 29 August 2026
Research Insight: Humanoid robots near mass production as suppliers face precision, ramp-up test
Research Insight: Humanoid robots near mass production as suppliers face precision and ramp-up test