For more than a decade, lithium-ion batteries have defined the global power battery market, concentrating technology, capital and supply chains along a single trajectory. That model is now under pressure. Sharp swings in lithium carbonate prices have exposed structural vulnerabilities, forcing the industry to confront a long-ignored question: what happens when the core input cost is no longer predictable?
China's dominant battery manufacturer, CATL, is accelerating its push to reshape the global electric vehicle (EV) landscape with a sweeping technology rollout that spans ultra-fast charging, high-energy-density systems, sodium-ion chemistry, and a unified charging-and-swapping infrastructure.
In China's vast auto market, foreign brands — and the joint ventures they once dominated — have been steadily overtaken by domestic rivals. Market share has eroded for years, forcing global carmakers to pivot strategically: embrace Chinese design, technology, and consumer sensibilities. The upcoming Beijing Auto Show is set to showcase that transformation, as a wave of foreign models infused with a distinctly "Chinese soul" debuts in a bid to reclaim lost ground.
Samsung SDI has signed a multi-year agreement to supply electric vehicle (EV) batteries to Mercedes-Benz, marking its first confirmed entry into the German luxury carmaker's EV lineup and concluding months of advanced negotiations over one of the industry's most closely watched battery deals.
China's auto market entered the year with a sharp jolt. In the first quarter, the long-dominant new energy vehicle (NEV) segment saw its market share slip to 45.1%, down from 47.7% in 2025, while sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) also contracted. The shift suggests that as Beijing scales back subsidies and tightens oversight to curb dumping, the market is reverting to more disciplined commercial dynamics.
The competition in robotaxis is expanding beyond the US and China into Europe, where 2026 is widely seen as the first year of commercial deployment. As domestic automakers and global players enter the market in tandem, a new contest is taking shape, one defined not just by algorithms, but by operating models and the path to profitability.
Tesla is developing a new, smaller and lower-cost electric sport utility vehicle, according to people familiar with the matter and the industry, marking a notable shift in strategy for CEO Elon Musk.
As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the buildout of data centers, the race to supply their enormous energy demands is drawing new alliances between China's technology and industrial giants.
