China EVs & More

In this engaging episode of the China EVs & More podcast, Tu Le and Lei Xing recap their experience at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, offering insights into the evolving global EV landscape. Highlights include discussions on the growing influence of Chinese automakers in Europe, the resurgence of European brands like Renault, and key geopolitical challenges shaping the automotive industry. The duo also shares anecdotes about networking, market dynamics, and the cultural aspects of the show.Key Topics Covered:•Chinese Automakers in Europe: The prominence of brands like BYD, Xpeng, and AITO at the Paris Motor Show, their strategies, and the European market’s response.•European Brands’ Counterattack: Renault’s new offerings and the competitive pricing of French EVs as a response to the “Chinese EV assault.”•Market Dynamics: Observations on global trends, the geopolitical backdrop, and the future of auto shows.•Industry Leaders & Networking: Encounters with executives and key players such as Carlos Tavares (Stellantis) and Herbert Diess.This episode delivers a deep dive into the intersection of automotive innovation, global market strategies, and cultural exchanges.List of Mentioned CompaniesAutomakers:1.Renault2.Stellantis (including Citroën and Peugeot)3.BYD4.Xpeng5.LeapMotor6.AITO7.Dongfeng Forthing8.Hongqi9.Skyworth10.Tesla11.GAC Group12.Cadillac13.Ford14.Dacia15.Alpine16.Mobilize17.ZEEKR18.Porsche19.VolkswagenSuppliers and Tech Companies:1.Valeo2.Bosch3.ACC (Auto Cell Company)Startups and Smaller Firms:1.Microlino2.Snap X (Hydrogen fuel cell startup)Others:1.Lithium Americas2.McKinsey & Company3.Pony.ai4.WeRide

The podcast begins with Tu and Lei briefly discussing the XPeng's AI Day where XPeng unveiled a few different strategic initiatives including the development of a robotaxi and the design of its own silicon to help run it. The biggest news from XPeng was that they are entering the EREV space. The conversation then moves over to Audi's brand launch in China and Tu and Lei's differing views of the 'why' and how successful they ultimately feel it will be. Tu points out that it won't be in production until mid-2025. Tu and Lei spend the rest of the podcast discussing the implications of another Trump presidency, one influenced by Elon Musk and the other Silicon Valley VCs that backed his candidacy. Tu emphasizes that this runs much deeper than giving Tesla the advantage in the US and points to all the AI and space exploration investments that have been made by the tech bros. 

The podcast starts with Lei seeing Tesla - all over Shanghai. Tu goes a step further saying that the Tesla brand is stronger in China than the Porsche brand. The conversation broadens out to a brief discussion about the Tesla earnings call and what analysts expect Tesla sales numbers to be in Q4 and whether or not they can match their sales from 2023. Tu moves on to congratulate WeRide for IPO'ing on the NASDAQ something they'd plan on doing much sooner. They discuss who is still up to IPO in the US later this year or early next. The conversation switches to Jim Farley's comments about driving the Xiaomi SU7 for the last 6 months and not wanting to give it up. Tu speculates that its his way of rallying the troops - Herbert Diess style. Lei then takes a few moments to discuss why he's over in China and some of the companies he's visited on this trip. The podcast closes out with Tu talking about his participation in the Reuters Automotive event held in Detroit and a brief discussion about how the price war has continued and still doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.Rumi.aiAll-in-one meeting tool with real-time transcription & searchable Meeting Memory™

Tu and Lei discuss BYD's continued success and marvel at their ability to break record after record. Tu points out that their operation efficiency is one big reason they're able to continue this blistering growth. This leads to a larger conversation about October sales and the sales drops of the European automakers (BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen Group, Porsche) and how much they should be worried about their future prospects. This leads to a discussion about both Stellantis and Volkswagen Group and their recent outwardly vocal pleas to get smaller to shed costs. The podcast closes out with a tariff discussion and how the EU and China may be able to avoid a trade war since both sides really don't want that.  Rumi.aiAll-in-one meeting tool with real-time transcription & searchable Meeting Memory™

Tu and Lei spend the first few minutes of the podcast updating about the policy changes coming out of a major Chinese govt meeting that are meant to stimulate the Chinese economy and some of the reactions from the external non-Chinese financial institutions reactions to those new stimulus policies. Tu asks Lei to go over some of the vehicle launches that happened that week continuing the barrage of introductions from Chinese EV makers which, in large part, is why the legacies are struggling to keep up. Tu compares and contrasts that with the still very few clearn energy vehicles that are entering the US market. Tu changes gears to congratulate BYD on producing their 9 milionth vehicle. He then talks about how meaningful that is and how it was accomplished in such a short period of time relative to earlier milestones. Tu and Lei move to unpacking the new Biden administration proposed restrictions on Chinese connected vehicle software and hardware. Tu talks about how this closes the Mexico backdoor and effectively keeps China EV Inc out of the US market for the foreseeable future. They close out the podcast with a brief review of the situation in Europe for China EV Inc and a preview of what they look forward to at the Paris Motor Show. Rumi.aiAll-in-one meeting tool with real-time transcription & searchable Meeting Memory™

Tu and Lei begin this episode with an update on the sales of the newly launched vehicles from Mona and ONVO. They both promise to make a bad situation for Legacy Auto in China even worse. Tu shifts gears and discusses how carmakers can still differentiate themselves even if they're using the same technology or more specifically, the same silicon to power the infotainment and intelligent driving systems. Tu then also discusses what could happen to the foreign suppliers if they're not able to speed up their level of innovation to keep pace with their Chinese counterparts. Lei then details his trip to Germany and his visits to Chinese EV brand dealerships. Tu speculates that with everything going on in the European market, the Chinese brands in order to maintain their competitiveness should begin to start reducing prices on their products there. The episode ends with Tu describing his trip to Vancouver to be a part of the Electrify Everything Conference sponsored by the Fully Charged team. Rumi.aiAll-in-one meeting tool with real-time transcription & searchable Meeting Memory™

Tu and Lei kick off this podcast with the news that Volkswagen would like to close factories in Germany for the first time in decades. They spent a long moment to discuss this because this news sent shockwaves across the industry and is the realization to the world, if not clear yet, China EV Inc is putting the world on notice - that's its here and here to stay.The discussion moves over to Mercedes, who while not in the same dire situation as VW, are also looking at what they can do to stop the bleeding in China. Volvo is the next OEM discussed and Tu updates everyone on what EVs he's looking at for purchase since there are so many great deals out there. Lei then updates everyone on August sales, which annually is the calm before the final turn into year end where all bets are off. They also discuss some of the levers being used by Tesla and others to try and keep demand for their products consistent. To end the podcast, Tu and Lei discuss the ways that BYD continue to have their feet on the gas and have not slowed their aggressive entry and shipment of products into international markets. They also analyze some of the tariffs and how they affect some more than others and who have the advantage in Europe for now. 

The podcast starts with Tu and Lei's thoughts on the XPeng's Mona M03 and the aggressive pricing that was announced for the vehicle. This evolves into a recap of XPeng history on product launches and the hope that this launch can be more successful than their past ones. Tu mentions that there are bad takes out there and emphasizes that price doesn't automatically dictate the segment in China anymore since the Chinese EV makers are offering tremendous value during this price war.The two switch topics over to the Chengdu Motor show and give a brief history lesson on the Chinese auto show hierarchy and what they expect from Chengdu. This discussion moves onto Tesla news about offering a 7-seat Model Y for China and their current promotions that have allowed them to keep production high in China. Lei mentions Tu's LinkedIn post that got a bit of attention referring to BYD's forecast of 50% of sales in the future will be ex-China. They then discuss the possibillity of and the scenarios that would help them achieve that goal. The podcast ends with a discussion on the recently announced Vauxhall Frontera EV being offered in the UK for £24K ($28K) and why other legacy automakers aren't able to get to that price. 

Tu and Lei start the podcast out with an update on the EU tariffs on Chinese EV makers, this time including Tesla. Some initial tariff rates were reduced but not substantially. Tu moves the conversation over to the improvement in XPeng's earnings and the momentum they may have when launching the Mona M03.The discussion moves over to who the global players are in the autonomous vehicle space and when thinking of China the lines are blurred with the autonomous vehicle companies competing directly against the OEMs who are either developing their own intelligent driving system or are partnering with tech companies to integrate a solution into their NEVs. They both touch on the Volkswagen ID.Buzz van launch and how the specs just don't match anything out in China that's comparable. They also briefly discuss the Chevy Tahoe pricing that was revealed this week in a picture posted to social media.Tu and Lei close out the show by unpacking Zeekr's earnings call. 

Tu and Lei open this podcast with a discussion of Polestar launching production of it's Polestar 3 in the US, South Carolina. They quickly shift the conversation over to XPeng's 10 year anniversary and discuss what they remember about XPeng over the last 10 years. Lei and Tu then move to discuss the speed of change and product refreshes. The automotive space hasn't seen this frequency of refreshes ever. Tu changes subject over to General Motors (GM) restructuring the China business along with a brief history lesson for GM doing business in China. The discussion moves over to a 15 minute CNBC video that was posted that compares the US Model Y to 4 Chinese branded vehicles: BYD, Li Auto, NIO and XPeng that Tu contributed to and was interviewed for. The podcast closes out with a discussion on the Merc EQE that caught on fire in an underground parking structure outside of Seoul, South Korea which sparked a HUGE uproar about the safety of EVs and who supplies which batteries to what vehicles.