Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Mercedes-Benz formed a German subsidiary under their China-based joint venture that will produce and market electric vehicles for the Smart brand.  
 

Renault Group plans to roll out five China-built vans through 2023 with local partner Brilliance China Automotive to tap the market for light commercial vehicles. The new products include small, medium and large vans, and some of them will be electrified.

While overall new-vehicle sales have rebounded three straight months, China’s electric vehicle market has contracted nonstop following a cut in subsidies in June 2019. To jump-start EV demand, the Chinese government this month came up with two proposals: promote battery swaps and encourage automakers to market EVs to rural residents. Neither of the plans is expected to generate meaningful results any time soon.

President Xi Jinping is widely seen as China's most powerful leader since Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong. That has also made him one of the most influential people in the global auto industry.

China's EV hopefuls, auto suppliers and other startups, racing to bolster cash amid a period of profound disruption, are turning to a new pot to mine for precious capital. 

New-vehicle sales in China continued to rise in the first 20 days of July, extending gains that started in April as the coronavirus outbreak waned, figures released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show.

Sales at PSA Peugeot Citroen’s sole China joint venture, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, remain stuck in a downward spiral, with just 5,380 Peugeot and Citroen deliveries in June, a decline of 47 percent year over year. 

Light-vehicle exports from China's auto factories lost more ground in the first half of the year as key overseas markets remained depressed by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Two years ago, China was a bright light in the global auto industry. Now, it faces the same issues as other markets, with falling sales, oversized capacity and uncertain consumer outlooks.

Factory capacity utilization at automakers in China rebounded to 74.5 percent in the second quarter as the industry began to recover from the coronavirus outbreak. 

The contraction in the used-vehicle market has slowed after the coronavirus outbreak sent the market plunging 67 percent in the first quarter. In June, used-vehicle deliveries dipped 1.6 percent to 1.2 million, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association. 

Pickup deliveries gathered steam in June after resuming growth the previous month, reflecting higher output in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and explosive sales at China’s largest pickup maker, Great Wall Motor Co.

The Chinese government, seeking to reverse slumping sales of electrified vehicles, plans to recruit 10 major automakers to offer steep discounts in rural areas in the second half of the year. 

Toyota Motor Corp.'s China sales topped those of two major Japanese brands -- Nissan and Honda -- in June as well as over the first six months. Deliveries at the Toyota brand continued to accelerate after turning positive in April, jumping 26 percent to top 149,000 in June, according to figures disclosed by Toyota’s joint ventures with FAW Group Corp. and GAC Motor Co. 

General Motors is launching sales of its second plug-in model, a hybrid version of the Buick Velite 6 sedan, later this month, expanding the automaker’s local electrified-vehicle lineup to meet government mandates.