Episode #231 - 2025 In Review

Tu and Lei close out 2025 with a sweeping, on-the-ground review of the most consequential year yet for China’s EV, AV, and mobility ecosystem — and why its ripple effects are now impossible for the rest of the world to ignore.  

From CES to Shanghai, Munich, and New York, the hosts reflect on firsthand experiences that defined the year: China’s EV export surge, the maturation of robotaxis, the cooling of the domestic price war, and the emergence of clear winners — and vulnerabilities — among Chinese and global automakers.

They break down why BYD became a true global volume force, how XPeng, Geely, and Zeekr gained momentum, why NIO’s long game is finally paying off, and what the rise of autonomous mobility outside China (Waymo, Baidu, WeRide, Pony.ai) means heading into 2026.

The episode also revisits major inflection points:
 • Chinese EV exports flooding Europe, Latin America, Russia, and the UK
 • The beginning of an exported price war
 • Robotaxis moving from pilots to real commercial expansion
 • Why average vehicle prices topping $50,000 in the U.S. is unsustainable
 • How geopolitics, tariffs, and supply chains reshaped strategy
 • Why 2026 could be the year autonomy truly breaks through

Candid, data-driven, and reflective — this episode connects the dots on how 2025 reshaped the global auto industry and sets the stage for what comes next.

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