Two million Teslas built in Gigafactory Shanghai

Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai reached a milestone as the 2 millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line, the company said on Wednesday. In January 2019, Tesla's Shanghai plant, the carmaker's first gigafactory outside the United States, began construction. It turned out the first vehicle in December of that year. The Shanghai factory then produced its first million cars over the next 30 months, while achieving its second million in less than 13 months. "The increase in Tesla's production speed is inseparable from the superior business environment in Shanghai, especially the Lin-gang special area of the Shanghai pilot free trade zone," said Song Gang, senior director of manufacturing at Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai. In the first eight months of this year, Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai delivered more than 600,000 cars, exceeding the total number achieved in 2021. It has also become a global export hub for Tesla.

EV startup Xpeng set to go on sale in Israel

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng's models will be sold in Israel, according to a statement issued by the Israeli car dealership Freesbe on Tuesday. The statement follows an announcement by the Chinese company about reaching a strategic partnership with Freesbe for sales and service in the Israeli market. Models on sale, expected in October, are to include Xpeng's compact P7 sedan and the mid-sized luxury G9 SUV, according to the statement. Chinese electric cars have become popular in Israel in recent years and two of the automakers, BYD and Geely Auto Group, topped Israel's EV sales in the first eight months of 2023.

'Volkswagen ready for combustion ban'

Volkswagen is ready for Europe's planned 2035 ban on sales of new fossil-fuel cars as it ramps up its electric vehicle lineup, Chief Executive Oliver Blume said at the 2023 IAA Mobility show in Munich, Germany. "We are prepared for the 2035 combustion ban in Europe," Blume said. He added that through its partnerships in China, the world's No 2 carmaker by sales will be able to lower its battery costs via a 50 percent reduction in cost at the cell level. Europe's carmakers are under pressure from Chinese electric vehicle makers, who have developed cheaper, more consumer-friendly models domestically and are now expanding into Europe. "I think we have great chances," Blume said. "We know how to build cars, with top quality. We will have to work hard on the cost side."

IT error halted Toyota production in Japan

Toyota Motor said on Wednesday that the suspension of operations at all 14 of its vehicle assembly plants in Japan in late August was caused by server malfunctions in its computer system during regular maintenance work. The Japanese automaker carried out the maintenance on Aug 27 to clean up the database of the system for processing production and parts orders. An error occurred because there was not enough disk space for the work, causing the system to halt. Toyota's domestic production was halted on Aug 29 after the failure occurred in the system that makes parts orders to the automaker's suppliers.

Honda joins Ford, GM in Elon's EV charging

Honda Motor will join Ford, General Motors of the United States and other electric vehicle makers in adopting Tesla's charging technology, the Japanese automaker announced Thursday. Honda said it will use Tesla's fast-charging port for its EV models that go on sale in North America starting in 2025.Ford and GM announced similar deals with the Elon Musk-owned Tesla in June, and electric truck maker Rivian followed suit later that month.