KYOTO — Japan’s Nidec will spend about 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) to build an electric vehicle motor factory in Serbia, Nikkei has learned, as the company looks to expand its foothold in Europe, whose EV market rivals that of China. The motor manufacturer is apparently in the final stages of talks with local authorities on… Continue reading Nidec plans $2bn EV motor factory in Europe for bet beyond China
Author: Nikki News Feed
China EV startup WM Motor issues recall after battery fires
HONG KONG — WM Motor, a startup electric vehicle producer backed by Tencent Holdings and Baidu, has issued a recall for more than 1,000 vehicles after three caught fire within a month. The news comes as a blow just a month after WM raised 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) from investors led by the Shanghai city government and state-owned carmaker SAIC… Continue reading China EV startup WM Motor issues recall after battery fires
China plans to phase out conventional gas-burning cars by 2035
BEIJING — China plans to make all new vehicles sold in 2035 “eco-friendly,” part of a goal that promises to give a tailwind to Japanese automakers like Toyota Motor, which specializes in hybrid engines. Of all new vehicles sold that year in the world’s most populous nation, 50% are to be “new-energy” vehicles — electric,… Continue reading China plans to phase out conventional gas-burning cars by 2035
Hyundai’s new Singapore R&D hub features helipad for flying cars
SEOUL — Hyundai Motor has begun building a research and development center in Singapore for next-generation applications such as artificial intelligence and driverless technology, the South Korean automaker said Tuesday. Hyundai is investing 400 million Singapore dollars ($295 million) for its first R&D hub in Southeast Asia, with construction slated to finish in 2022. The… Continue reading Hyundai’s new Singapore R&D hub features helipad for flying cars
Nissan bets on EV supremacy for growth, CEO says
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan President and CEO Makoto Uchida says the automaker will “take advantage of the scale of the alliance” with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors in electrification technology, which he sees as a source of future revenue. He also says electrification may drive a restructuring in the auto industry and didn’t deny the possibility of expanding the… Continue reading Nissan bets on EV supremacy for growth, CEO says
Nissan to offer partial driving automation standard on new cars
TOKYO — Nissan Motor will equip all future vehicles with basic automated driving functions, aiming to release more than 20 such models by fiscal 2023. The technology will enable Nissan’s more expensive models to be operated hands-free on the highway, while low- to midprice cars will be able to track vehicles in front of them.… Continue reading Nissan to offer partial driving automation standard on new cars
Hyundai Motor to recall Kona EV in S.Korea over fire risk
SEOUL (Reuters) — Hyundai Motor Co will voluntarily recall its Kona electric vehicles as a possible short circuit due to what may be faulty manufacturing of its high-voltage battery cells could pose a fire risk, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Thursday. Starting on Oct. 16, the recall, which includes software updates and battery replacements after… Continue reading Hyundai Motor to recall Kona EV in S.Korea over fire risk
Bottom-up revolution: ‘Stick-on’ paint helps carmakers go green
HIGASHI-OSAKA, Japan — A scrappy Osaka company with special technology for heating plastic film has a proposition to big automakers: go green by adopting its environmentally friendly method to “paint” car bodies. Fu-se Vacuum Forming has developed a device that applies colored film to car bodies. The simple one-time pressing process is expected to slash electricity… Continue reading Bottom-up revolution: ‘Stick-on’ paint helps carmakers go green
Recall sets back EV push by China’s Geely to beat Tesla in Europe
HAMBURG, Germany — The Polestar 2, one of the first Chinese-built electric vehicles to be embraced by European drivers, is now facing a full recall in an embarrassing setback for Geely Automobile Holdings and its Swedish subsidiary Volvo Cars. A spokesman for Polestar told Nikkei Asia that the company had requested owners of the nearly… Continue reading Recall sets back EV push by China’s Geely to beat Tesla in Europe
Japan-UK trade deal keeps low tariffs for cars made with EU parts
TOKYO/LONDON — The economic partnership agreement between Japan and the U.K. will maintain preferential tariffs for industrial products manufactured with components made in the European Union in a win for Japanese automakers, Nikkei has learned. The two sides agreed to broaden rules-of-origin language to treat EU-sourced parts as the same as those made in the U.K. or Japan.… Continue reading Japan-UK trade deal keeps low tariffs for cars made with EU parts