China

China's EV industry and the Western response, tracked: BYD's export machine, the range claims that need cycle labels, US bans on Chinese-linked cars, and the strategy bets in both directions.

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Nov 4

Last updated

White Tesla Model Y driving along a two-lane road past pine trees and orange autumn foliage

China · Tesla

Tesla Registrations Nearly Quadruple in Germany but Trail BYD

Tesla registered 2,932 cars in Germany in October, up 290.9% from 750, yet BYD and Leapmotor both registered more, and BYD leads the year by 219 cars.

Damien KestelooNov 42 min read

Red Tesla Model Y driving toward the camera on a narrow tree-lined street in South Korea

FSD

Tesla Sold FSD in Korea as 99% of 2025 Sales Couldn't Legally Use It

A Korean consumer group plans to ask the Fair Trade Commission to halt Tesla's FSD marketing for China-built cars, which can't legally run the software.

Haye KestelooNov 4

Tesla

Tesla's Nordic Sales Jump, but Its October Denmark Share Is Under 1%

Tesla registered 1,548 cars in Norway and 463 in Sweden in October, but 137 Danish registrations gave it 0.73% there, against 5.9% for the year.

Damien KestelooNov 3

Light green BYD Atto 2 compact electric SUV driving along a city street lined with stone buildings

BYD

BYD Electric Car Sales Hit New Record as Hybrids Drop 17%

BYD sold a record 305,743 fully electric cars in October, up 37%, while plug-in hybrids fell 17% and exports slipped for a second month, its filing shows.

Damien KestelooNov 2

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Pauses the Electric Golf After a $6.5 Billion Q3 Loss

Volkswagen lost €5.86 billion in Q3 2026, mostly on a non-cash Porsche writedown, and paused ID. Golf work. Its CFO says EVs earn less than gas cars.

Haye KestelooOct 31

Volkswagen

VW Takes China EV Technology Global, Starting in South America

Volkswagen will take its China-developed CMP platform and CEA electronics to South America by 2030, Reuters reports. Europe and North America wait for now.

Damien KestelooOct 29

Side silhouette of the Yangwang Altior sedan in BYD's teaser video, lit from above against a black background

BYD

BYD Names Altior Luxury EV Ahead of Planned UAE Reveal

BYD's Yangwang flagship sedan, formerly Project HU, is now the Altior. A Dubai reveal around November 5 and a $300,000 price remain unconfirmed estimates.

Damien KestelooOct 28

Volkswagen

VW Weighs Xpeng Tech for Europe, Putting Rivian at Risk

VW may base three-quarters of its next VW, Škoda and Cupra models in Europe on Xpeng-developed tech, shrinking Rivian's $5.8B role, Reuters reports.

Damien KestelooOct 26

The center of gravity

China builds and exports more EVs than anyone; BYD alone retook the global crown

The walls going up

The US now bans Chinese-linked models — Geely ships Lotus EVs to Canada while their Polestar twin is barred next door

The bets in both directions

Ford reportedly courts Xiaomi for EV speed; Volkswagen chased a Chinese flying car for five years and left its project lead facing criminal charges

China is the center of gravity of the global EV industry, and everything else on this site — the price wars, the tariff walls, Detroit’s strategy — is in some way a response to that fact.

The champion is BYD, which retook the global crown and keeps setting export records; its full story lives on the BYD desk. The walls going up produce sibling-model absurdities: Geely ships Lotus EVs to Canada while the US bans their Polestar twin.

The bets run in both directions. Ford reportedly courts Xiaomi for Chinese EV speed; Volkswagen chased a Chinese flying car for five years and left its project lead facing criminal charges — the cautionary tale in the same genre. And every range headline from this market needs its cycle label, which is the EPA desk’s whole job.

Every China EV story lands in the feed below.

Why do Chinese EVs matter to American buyers who can't buy them?

Because they set the world price and pace. Every US-market decision — Ford's reported Xiaomi talks, GM's cost panic, the tariff walls — is a response to what BYD and its peers ship. You can't buy the cars; you're already living in their market.

Are Chinese EVs banned in the US?

Increasingly, including by lineage: Geely can ship Lotus EVs to Canada while the US bans their Polestar twin. The wall is drawn around software and ownership as much as sheet metal, which produces exactly these sibling-model absurdities.

Are Chinese EV range claims trustworthy?

They are CLTC-cycle numbers — the most generous test in use. BYD's 1,036 km Denza claim is real on that cycle and would land far lower on an EPA sticker. Name the cycle, or the number is marketing.

China

The EV industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.