Hyundai to beef up e-mobility in India

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday it plans to launch more electric vehicles in India, the world's third-largest auto market. Hyundai, India's second-biggest carmaker by sales, will offer seven EV models by 2032. It will also increase its number of charging stations to 439 by 2027. Kia will start producing small EVs from 2025 and develop EV charging infrastructure as well as double its sales network, aiming to eventually boost its domestic market share to 10 percent, from 6.7 percent now, parent group Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement. Hyundai has laid out plans to invest $2.45 billion to beef up EV production in the country, and is bullish on the local appetite for EVs.

Japan exports knocked into second place

China surpassed Japan as the world's largest vehicle exporter in the first half of this year. Auto manufacturers in China shipped 2.34 million vehicles overseas from January to June, up almost 77 percent year-on-year, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers citing data from the General Administration of Customs. Japan lagged at 2.02 million units in the same period, up 17 percent year-on-year, data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association showed. China, which was the world's No 2 vehicle exporter in 2022, had beat Japan by the first quarter this year. The China Passenger Car Association estimates China's full-year vehicle exports may reach 5 million units, up from 3.11 million units in 2022.

Italy planning to boost local car industry

The Italian government aims to work out a broad plan for the country's automotive industry with carmaker Stellantis and other groups by the end of this year. In July, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said they were working on a deal to increase the group's annual automotive production in Italy to one million vehicles. Urso said on Tuesday that he was looking at drawing up a work program with Stellantis by the end of September, to prepare talks for the full agreement. The talks will involve trade unions, local governments and lobby group ANFIA. According to union sources, the program could be announced as early as Sept 10.

Li Auto takes aim at German giants

Li Auto aims to outsell German giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in China in 2024 as the Chinese startup accelerates rollouts of new models and ramps up production. "We would strive to become the No 1 premium car brand in China in 2024 in terms of sales," Li Auto's CEO Li Xiang told investors on Tuesday night, adding that the company could achieve a monthly delivery of 40,000 units in the fourth quarter after a production ramp-up. Founded in 2015, Li Auto will launch its first pure battery electric model at the end of this year. The company will launch four new models in 2024 including three EVs, he said.

Egyptian drivers targeted by Jetour

Jetour Auto, a Chinese auto brand, unveiled three new SUV models in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Tuesday, as Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion in the Middle Eastern region. Chen Jiacai, assistant general manager of Jetour and general manager of Jetour International Marketing Company, said the brand will focus on the SUV market in Egypt, aiming to take more than a 10 percent share of the Egyptian vehicle market by 2027."Through enhancing local production capacity, Jetour is committed to providing more jobs and making its contribution to Egypt's economy," Chen told Xinhua News Agency. Since its establishment in 2018, Jetour has set up over 400 sales and service networks across more than 40 countries and regions.