Etiqueta: ICE

Europe’s car industry faces a perfect storm. Chinese car exports are surging, European producers are being squeezed out of global markets, US tariffs are rising, and domestic demand remains 20% below pre-pandemic levels. Instead of sliding into a costly muddle of regulatory rollbacks, bailouts, and fragmented national subsidies, the EU should harness its single market - 450 million consumers and a vast corporate sector - to drive demand for Europe-made vehicles. That means co-ordinating consumer subsidies with a buy-European clause, applying it to both private and corporate fleets, and using it as a platform for reciprocal EV-subsidy agreements with trusted trade partners. A window for action is open: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain all need to renew their EV-support schemes in the coming months. Together, they represent 70% of EU car registrations—and could launch broader European coordination.

BYD has now launched a selection of vehicles in South Africa that could really help catalyze adoption. These include the Seagull, known in South Africa as the Dolphin Surf, and the BYD Shark 06 PHEV pickup.

BYD Co Ltd SZSE:002594:

The BYD Seagull is a Swift-sized EV that is a high-quality yet budget-priced offering in its home market, but would it translate into the same thing in NZ?

Over the weekend BYD introduced a refreshed Han, increasing the battery range of the DM-I (PHEV) to 245 km (152 mi), almost doubling the battery range. More than many early BEV’s and enough range to cover typical weekly usage with a couple of charges. In addition, fuel efficiency once the battery is depleted increased to 3.44 l/100 km (68 mpg). On the BEV Han, range increased to 635 km (394 mi) on mainstream models and 705 km (438 mi) on the top spec, up from 605 km and 701 km on previous models.While new product was being launched, China announced significant regulatory changes: in order to qualify for the purchase tax  exemption, PHEVs would need to have a range of at least 100 km (62 mi) and BEVs would have to meet stricter efficiency targets. Several other regulatory announcements, particularly around pricing, and product announcements were also made over the weekend, with more anticipated. Looking at product and regulation together helps to illustrate BYD's overall position in the changing Chinese market, with implications that extend beyond their borders.

Review by Akshay Aggarwal from EVreporter, based on his experience of driving the top variant of BYD eMax 7 for 16,000 kilometers over 6 months.

September saw plugin EVs take 35.5% share of the UK auto market, up from 29.4% year-on-year. BEVs grew in volume by 29% YoY, PHEVs grew 56%.