Table of Contents
Tesla aims to ship roadster cars next year, says Elon Musk
Feb 28 – Tesla will aim to ship Roadster electric sports car by next year, the electric vehicle maker’s CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday. “Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster,” Musk said in a post on X, adding that Roadster’s production design will be completed and unveiled by the end of this year.
Tesla had announced the Roadster, a battery-powered four-seater, at the end of 2017, which was originally set to be launched in 2020.
Musk in 2021 had pushed the launch of the Roadster to 2023, citing global supply chain bottlenecks. In 2023, Musk said Tesla hopes to start production of its long-delayed next-generation Roadster electric sports car next year.
China’s BYD Shows Off SUV That Can Also Float
Geneva (Feb 27) – China’s BYD (002594.SZ), opens new tab on Tuesday showcased its Yangwang U8 at the Geneva car show, a luxury plug-in hybrid SUV capable of floating in the event of accidents involving water. Weighing in at around 3.5 metric tons, the model can also park sideways like a crab or make a complete turn on the spot thanks to four electric motors, one in each wheel.
The SUV is currently only on sale in China, though BYD is not ruling out exporting it to other markets. “This vehicle could perhaps be brought to certain European markets with limited distribution, but not necessarily exactly in its current form,” BYD’s marketing manager for France Guillaume Calvar told Reuters. “But for the moment, we are … testing its appeal,” he added.
BYD said that by end of January it had sold a total of 3,653 of the U8, which is priced from 1.098 million yuan ($152,550) in China, since it started deliveries in November. The automaker also unveiled the Yangwang U9 sports supercar in China on Sunday and opened pre-orders with a starting price of 1.68 million yuan.
BYD has not yet decided whether it will market its luxury Yangwang brand in Europe, Calvar said. For now, the company is focused on its electric and hybrid BYD range and launching its premium Denza brand. ($1 = 7.1976 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Report Says, China’s Changan in talks to take over struggling EV maker Human Horizons
Shanghai (Feb 28) – China’s state-owned Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd (000625.SZ), opens new tab is in talks to take over struggling Chinese electric vehicle maker Human Horizons, financial news outlet Yicai reported on Wednesday, citing Changan Chairman Zhu Huarong.
Ding Lei, founder of Shanghai-based Human Horizons which makes the Hiphi-branded EVs, met Zhu in Chongqing on Feb. 27, Yicai added, citing a separate person it didn’t name. Changan Auto confirmed the meeting between Ding and Zhu in a response to Reuters but declined to comment on the reported talks of acquisition or merger.
Human Horizons didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The company founded in 2017 told its employees on Feb. 18 that it would suspend operation for six months, financial media outlet Caixin has reported, after Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia retracted a plan to invest $5.6 billion in Human Horizons. Human Horizons sells three Hiphi EVs models priced from 339,000 yuan ($47,089.87) to 800,000 yuan in China. The cars, with monthly sales under 1,000 units, are manufactured in a plant that previously made Kia cars in the eastern Jiangsu province.
($1 = 7.1990 yuan)
Also Read:
In January, Toyota’s Global Output Increased By 7%
Tokyo (Feb 28) – Japan’s Toyota motors said on Wednesday that their global vehicle production increased rose by 7% in January, marking a year-on-year increase for the 13th straight month as the automaker benefited from strong U.S. demand.
As Israelis And Hamas Takes Part In Qatar Talks, Biden Hopes For Ceasefire In Days
Jerusalem/Cairo/New York – U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that he hopes for ceasefire between Israel-Hamaz conflict in Gaza start by next Monday as the warring parties appeared to close in on a deal during negotiations in Qatar that also aim to broker the release of hostages.
