Logistics companies in Japan, striving to cut costs and make the most out of the pandemic-inspired online shopping boom, are finding an unlikely white knight in Chinese EV makers.

China is Porsche biggest single market with sales up 8 percent in 2021.

The factory makes the electric Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers for domestic and international markets, including Germany and Japan.

The government said LG Energy, SK Innovation and Samsung SDI will be key players, driving investment in R&D and battery production.

A Japanese battery start-up is launching a commercial fleet service using Geely EVs.

Tesla sold 70,847 China-made vehicles in December, the highest monthly rate since it started manufacturing in Shanghai in 2019, China Passenger Car Association data showed.

The letter, dated May 1 and addressed to local authorities in Shanghai's Lingang Special Area, outlined the lengths to which the city went to help Tesla, indicating the U.S. automaker's importance to Shanghai.

The key Chinese suppliers informed Apple sometime in the past two months that they were not able to meet the tech giant's requirements for a planned EV, Reuters says.

The expansion, if it goes ahead, would give Tesla EV-dedicated production capacity in the world's largest auto market on a par with more established brands in China.