As Western automakers wrestle with supply chain bottlenecks and regulatory shifts, China's electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers are rapidly carving out a dominant position on the global stage—powered by technology, pricing, and increasingly, strategy.
In a move that has reignited Taiwan's automotive and geopolitical debate, Chinese automaker BYD is reportedly seeking to enter the Taiwanese market by introducing its luxury EV brand Denza through a third-party distributor, Hong Kong-based Swire Motors. The revelation, first reported on August 5, comes weeks after earlier speculation that BYD might circumvent existing trade barriers via a third-country route.
A Florida court has ruled that Tesla must pay US$243 million in damages over a fatal crash that occurred in 2019, holding the automaker partially liable for the incident. The verdict, which assigns one-third of the responsibility to Tesla, has sent ripples through the auto industry—not just because of the hefty penalty, but because it challenges long-standing legal norms around Level 2 (L2) driver-assist technologies. Tesla has vowed to appeal.
Toyota Motor plans to begin electric vehicle (EV) production in Europe by 2028, marking a significant expansion of its global EV manufacturing strategy. The company announced that its subsidiary in the Czech Republic will produce approximately 100,000 EVs annually, making it Toyota's first EV production hub in Europe and its fourth globally, following facilities in Japan, the US, and China.
Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, has announced plans to release its first production vehicle equipped with end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving technology by 2027. The company also aims to launch a fully integrated software-defined vehicle (SDV), powered by artificial intelligence and cloud-based services, by 2028.
Qualcomm Inc. has agreed to buy London-listed semiconductor company Alphawave IP Group Plc for about US$2.4 billion in cash to expand its technology for artificial intelligence.
