Nation's vehicle charging infrastructure expands

China's electric vehicle charging infrastructure has maintained rapid growth, with the total number of facilities reaching nearly 17.35 million units by the end of August, up 53.5 percent from a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday. Public charging facilities stood at about 4.32 million units, an increase of 37.8 percent year-on-year. Their combined capacity hit 196 million kilowatts, according to the National Energy Administration. Private charging facilities expanded at an even faster pace, jumping 59.6 percent year-on-year to 13.03 million units, the administration said. The robust growth in charging infrastructure is in line with the expansion of China's new energy vehicle market.

Chery IPO set to raise billions in Hong Kong

Chinese automaker Chery Automobile will aim to raise up to HK$9.15 billion ($1.2 billion) in a Hong Kong initial public offering, the largest deal of its kind for the city this year, according to its prospectus released last Wednesday. The company is selling 297.4 million shares in a price range of HK$27.75 to HK$30.75 each. Final pricing is due to be announced this Wednesday, with trading expected to begin on Thursday. Chery, best known for its Chery, Jetour and iCAR brands, is seeking to tap investor appetite as it expands in the competitive electric and smart vehicle market. The IPO will be the largest in Hong Kong this year, where capital market activity has been dominated by share sales from companies listed in the Chinese mainland.

US trade tariffs deliver blow to Japan exports

Japan's exports to the United States plummeted 13.8 percent in August compared to a year ago, marking the fifth straight month of decline. It comes as auto exports were hit by President Donald Trump's tariffs. The finance ministry data released on Wednesday showed the rate of the drop in exports to the US compared to 2024 worsened from a 10.1 percent slip in July. US tariffs on Japanese automobiles and auto parts decreased from 27.5 percent, the amount Trump initially levied, to 15 percent last week, but that's still higher than the original 2.5 percent. Wednesday's data reflect the month of August, when the tariffs were higher. Japan's overall exports were little changed, slipping 0.1 percent, as exports grew to Europe and the Middle East.

Austrian factory begins building XPeng SUVs

XPeng has started production in Magna International's factory in Graz, Austria, home to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4x4, as the Chinese NEV carmaker accelerates its global expansion. The company said its first European production program started in the third quarter of 2025, with the Magna plant rolling out XPeng G6 and G9 sport-utility vehicles. Additional models are slated to follow as XPeng expands its European lineup. The move comes as XPeng's overseas momentum builds. Since entering Europe in 2021 through Norway, the Guangzhou, Guangdong province-based automaker has expanded to more than 46 markets worldwide. Overseas deliveries reached 18,701 units in the first seven months of 2025, up 217 percent from a year earlier.

Door inquiry sparks Tesla design rethink

Tesla is looking to combine electronic and manual door-release mechanisms, which are currently in separate locations, the company's longtime design chief, Franz von Holzhausen, said on Wednesday. Von Holzhausen said the decision is intended to make the handles more intuitive for occupants in "a panic situation". The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday it opened an investigation into about 174,000 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2021 model year over reports the electronic door handles can become inoperative. The NHTSA noted Tesla vehicles have manual door releases inside, but children may not be able to access or operate them even if the vehicle's driver is aware of them. Von Holzhausen said Tesla was studying reports of a top China regulator that is considering a ban on fully concealed door handles.