Baidu s decision to produce cars have caused a stir in the capital and automotive markets, but the Chinese tech company is more likely to build robotaxi fleets than sell vehicles to individual customers, analysts said.
The company announced its plan last week to build a standalone car company to produce and market passenger vehicles, using Chinese carmaker Geely s electric vehicle architecture.
Baidu did not offer details on how its vehicles will be different than those from Tesla or any other gasoline car challenger or when the vehicles will hit the market.
Though much remains a mystery, the news drove investors into a frenzy. Baidu s stock price hit $249 on Friday, the highest since July 2018 and up from around $180 in December, when Reuters first reported its intention to make cars.
BMW backs China s emission-cutting goals By Li Fusheng | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-01-18 16:17 Share CLOSE The BMW M8 is seen during the media day of the 41st Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand on July 14, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse expressed the German carmaker s backing for China s de-carbonization goals, saying the country s economic growth has been accompanied by a firm commitment to sustainability.
Zipse made the remarks as he addressed the annual China EV 100 forum online on Saturday. China will achieve the goals of carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. The BMW Group fully supports these goals, he said.
North American auto industry feels effects of global microchip shortage By Jordyn Grzelewski, The Detroit News
Published: January 17, 2021, 6:02am
Share: Ford Motor Co. plans to idle its Louisville, Ky., Assembly Plant due to a supplier part shortage connected to the semiconductor shortage. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Automakers in North America are beginning to feel the effects of a global shortage of semiconductors that has caused a crunch for manufacturers worldwide, adding a wrinkle to the industry’s attempted comeback from the coronavirus crisis.
Ford Motor Co. confirmed Friday that it will idle its Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky this week “due to a supplier part shortage connected to the semiconductor shortage,” company spokeswoman Kelli Felker said.
Japan automakers cutting output on chip shortage
Bloomberg
Japan’s major automakers have cut production at various factories due to a worsening global semiconductor shortage brought about as chipmakers struggle to meet soaring demand from consumer-electronics companies.
Lockdowns and travel restrictions are prompting housebound shoppers to snap up more phones, game consoles, smart TVs and laptops, which in turn has fueled demand for the chips used in those devices. That means automakers from Toyota Motor Corp to Volkswagen AG are at risk of not getting enough parts to fuel a fledgling recovery in their own industry.
China Association of Automobile Manufacturers deputy secretary general Chen Shihua (陳世華) said the chip shortage had caused a relatively big impact on the Chinese auto industry from late last month and might persist into the second quarter.
Volvo owner Zhejiang Geely Holding Group inked a deal with Apple maker Foxconn on Wednesday to produce auto parts and vehicles for companies that prefer to outsource production.