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Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The interior of a Pony.ai robotaxi, seen at the Shanghai Auto Show. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Pony.ai partners with Tencent to provide robotaxi services on WeChat

With access to more than a billion users on Tencent’s platforms, Pony.ai is set to significantly boost its revenue potential.

Huawei

Huawei enlists 11 carmakers in pact on driving safety as Tesla awaits FSD nod

Electric & new energy vehicles

My Take | China’s ambitions in electric vehicles go beyond making lots of cars

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers put brakes on self-driving hype at Shanghai show

‘Safety’ is the big buzzword as firms adjust tone amid Beijing’s closer scrutiny after a fatal crash involving a driver-assistance system.

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Visitors walk in front of the Geely booth during the Shanghai auto show on April 23, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Electric & new energy vehicles

Intel, Chinese partners ModelBest and Black Sesame push smart car systems

The collaborations reflect demand in China, the world’s largest electric vehicle market, for more computing power in sophisticated cockpits.

Artificial intelligence

Tesla is testing robotaxi service with employees in Texas, California

The plan is to launch this summer a Robotaxi service that would be driverless and under remote supervision.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Hesai to quadruple lidar output to extend lead in laser range finders

The company plans to boost production to 2 million units this year from about 502,000 units in 2024, founder and CEO David Li Yifan says.

ATX lidar sensors made by Hesai can identify conditions such as rain, fog and exhaust fumes in real time at a pixel level. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

No-shows at Shanghai car expo reflect brutal mainland competition

Hyundai, Hozon, Jaguar Land Rover, Polestar and nearly a dozen other marques miss the world’s largest auto event.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Japan’s Nissan looks to export China-made electric cars in global expansion push

Nissan displayed two new vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show on Wednesday as part of an effort to launch 10 new-energy vehicles by mid-2027.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese robotaxi firm Pony.ai eyes global expansion, unveils 3 models

The industry will see wider adoption and a big jump in the number of robotaxis in the next three years, Pony.ai CEO James Peng says.

An employee of robotaxi firm Pony.ai is seen behind the wheel of a self-driven car in Guangzhou in March. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers take spotlight as Tesla skips Shanghai Auto Show

Firms including BYD, Nio, Geely, Xiaomi and Leapmotor will showcase new and existing models at the two-week event starting on Wednesday.

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Workers stand by a car being delivered to the National Exhibition and Convention Center ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show in Shanghai on April 22, 2025. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Elon Musk to cut back work with Trump and Doge after Tesla sales skid

The billionaire CEO’s political actions as a close adviser to the US president have damaged the brand and caused blowback.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

EV makers urged to boost safety in self-driving systems after Xiaomi SU7 crash

Caution came as China’s level 2 driving automation system ‘has entered a critical period of large-scale application’.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

EVs | China to crack down on EV self-driving technology, ‘autonomous driving’ claims

Beijing warns EV makers and technology providers to adhere to development rules and take care not to overstate capabilities.

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An accident in China involving a Xiaomi EV claimed three lives in March. Photo: Weibo/ 章博
Electric & new energy vehicles

SAIC Motor to join Huawei in new smart EV project to stem multi-year sales slump

SAIC, which assembles petrol cars with GM and VW, has been left trailing as Chinese consumers switch to EVs sold by Tesla, Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto.

A vehicle inside a factory operated by SAIC-GM-Wuling in Liuzhou, southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in July 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

EVs | Xpeng eyes Toyota’s Alphard, Europe sales with its X9 electric MPV

More Chinese EV brands will enter the global market in the future, notwithstanding the current tariff turmoil, CEO He Xiaopeng says.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Exclusive | Xpeng to use own Turing AI chip to power its self-driving cars this quarter

Xpeng’s Turing AI chip is three times more powerful in computing power than the Nvidia chip installed in its existing EVs.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Letters | Autonomous vehicles are just not safe, whatever the claims

Readers discuss the lessons to take from a fatal crash, a plan to reduce workload at Hong Kong hospitals, and the benefits of cultural big data.

The damaged Xiaomi SU7 involved in a fatal crash late last month in Anhui, China, in this photo captured from Weibo. Photo: Weibo
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s lidar sensor firms Hesai, RoboSense stand to gain after fatal EV crash

Adoption of the laser-based sensors will increase as consumers demand safe self-driving systems, analysts say.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD to double sales network in South Korea in challenge to Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai and Kia sold 1.2 million cars in South Korea last year, cornering 75 per cent of the local market.

Electric & new energy vehicles

‘Millions of drivers need to be educated’ after fatal Xiaomi crash: analysts

Autonomous-driving features carry high safety risks amid a lack knowledge about how the systems work, leader of industry body says.

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Xiaomi will cooperate with the police after an accident involving the autonomous driving feature of its SU7 electric vehicle (EV) claimed three lives. Photo: Weibo/ 南京金刀客
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xiaomi car crash involving self-driving feature sparks concerns in China

Company says it submitted the driving data and relevant operational information to the police and deeply regrets the tragedy.

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Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun unveils the SU7 Ultra in Beijing on October 29, 2024. The car model was involved in an accident on the mainland on Saturday, which claimed three lives. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng CEO says flying car market will be bigger than EVs over next 2 decades

CEO He Xiaopeng believes the global flying car market could reach US$2 trillion in the next two decades, double the size of land vehicles.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Self navigating to the top: why China leads the global autonomous-driving race

After stamping their authority on EV technology, Chinese firms make strides in adding self-driving features.

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Science

EV expert Xu Fuguo returns to China after leaving US$30 million project in Japan

Engineer returns as professor at Dalian university as Japan’s auto industry struggles to keep up with Chinese innovation and market momentum.

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Xu Fuguo, whose research has focused on EV control engineering, started as a professor in the mechanical engineering school at Dalian University of Technology after spending years researching in the Japanese auto sector. Photo: Xinhua
Banking & finance

Cathie Wood sees AI driving US$10 trillion global robotaxi revolution

The CEO of Ark Investment says the market will help propel a near 10-fold jump in Tesla’s share price to US$2,600 in five years.

Cathie Wood of Ark Investment (right) takes part in a panel discussion at HSBC’s Global Investment Summit in Hong Kong on Thursday. Photo: Handout
China technology

Opinion | China’s true talent in AI lies in making it safe to use

While the US remains caught in a computational race, China’s competitive advantage lies not in any LLM model but in AI-embedded ecosystems.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD launches a ‘Model 3 killer’ at half the price of Tesla’s top seller

The Qin L and Xpeng’s Mona M03, which are priced around US$16,500, arrive as the US company’s mainland sales are dropping.

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