Latest news with #Xpeng
Motor Trend
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
The Era of Cars Running a Single Computer and Operating System Is Here
Is China really 'there' already, producing cars with centralized computers and a hypervisor? Coming out of CES 2025 earlier this year, we covered a Snapdragon innovation Qualcomm was pitching to automakers, capable of running an entire car on a single chip. Now we just returned from China where we drove a similar system by Chinese EV maker Nio—which designed, developed, and manufactured its own chip in-house, along with the software that runs on it. 0:00 / 0:00 See All 5 Photos Chinese Smart-EV startup Nio's Shenji NX9031 Chip--the world's first Automotive 5nm chip. How are these newish Chinese car companies (Xpeng has designed its own chip, too) able to pull this off? By prioritizing digital development. Nio's engineering workforce of between 10 and 11,000 engineers is split about 70/30 between software versus other branches of engineering, so they do their own electrical architecture, for example, while leaving some hardware-based tasks such as suspension design and development to third parties. Tesla's engineering mix is similar in scope to Nio's, but most legacy automakers reverse those percentages. See All 5 Photos Nio SkyOS Operating System Schematic SkyOS The name may conjure frightening references to SkyNet from the Terminator movies, but this comprehensive vehicular operating system is designed to oversee all systems onboard Nio's entire range of cars—from its simple, compact Firefly EV to the all-singing, all-active-suspension-dancing Nio ET9. We asked whether there was a measurable difference in the number of lines of code or the computing power between a Firefly application and ET9 and were told that no, one SkyOS system fits all. There will simply be fewer features on some models, all connected via an ethernet backbone. A huge benefit touted for SkyOS is its extremely low latency (response time), which is said to be far less than a millisecond. That's considerably quicker than competing Linux systems, and drivers can appreciate such an improvement in latency through touchscreen responses and shorter ABS stopping distances. See All 5 Photos Nvidia's Orin chip has been one of the auto industry's top-performing chips. Nvidia Orin or Shenji NX9031? SkyOS is designed to run on various chipsets, so cars demanding fewer features can utilize less expensive existing chips, while full-featured cars like the ET9 get Nio's new Shenji NX9031—hailed as the automotive world's first production 5nm chip. (Note: 5nm is simply a chip-marketing term that refers to the next step in the evolution of transistor density—the gates are not physically 5 nm apart, but the chip houses more than 50 billion transistors.) Billed primarily as an autonomous driving enabler, the chip reportedly possesses at least double the processing power of two Nvidia Orin chips with a pixel processing capacity of 6.5GB/s and a response time of less than 5 ms, yet it draws considerably less power than an equivalent Nvidia array. Such processing power improves things like the vision systems' ability to recognize objects in low light and for AI personal assistants like Nio's NOMI to process large-language models. See All 5 Photos Schematic comparing and contrasting domain-based versus zonal electrical architecture. Isn't Rivian Basically Right There Too? Close. Rivian's electrical architecture is in the vanguard of American manufacturers, but its system still largely qualifies as zonal, in which various zones aggregate signals from nearby sensors and send them (via simpler communications) to the central computer. Rivian runs an OS from QNX Blackberry. Nio employs zones, as well, but generally fewer of them. Low-feature-set cars like the Firefly might employ one or two zones while a fancy ET9 needs four. What About Tesla? The other vanguard player in America's SDV universe is Tesla, which still employs considerably more than a handful of zones in its more centralized zonal architecture. It also runs open-source software (OSS) such as Linux, GNU toolchain, and other community-based projects such as Ubuntu. SkyOS is Also Open Source Perhaps a future Tesla may leverage Nio's SkyOS, which the company has announced it has made 'open source.' What does that mean? Mostly the software development community is free to look under the hood and develop products and apps to run on the SkyOS system. This is the main motivation for Nio making the software opens source: to improve the user experience with more potential over-the-air updatable features and Easter eggs developed out-of-house. (For reference, Android is open source, while Apple's iOS is not.) Might Americans Ever Experience SkyOS? Barring outright bans on Chinese software, there's every possibility that, say, a domestic or European automaker could leverage Nio's open-source software. Perhaps that possibility is highest with McLaren, which has a technology sharing agreement with Nio. It would certainly seem wise to leverage the development expense of those NX9031 chips by selling them to other automakers, but a lot of strategic calculus goes into making any such decision.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD stocks plunge following deep price cuts as EV sales surpass Tesla in Europe
Shares of BYD, the largest Chinese electric vehicle brand, tumbled 8.6% on Monday following news that the company offered steep discounts in some models, sparking concerns about a fresh price war in China's EV markets. The decline continued in Tuesday's Asian session, with BYD shares falling a further 4% in Hong Kong as of 5am CEST. Despite the drop, the stock remains up more than 50% year-to-date on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In contrast, global competitor Tesla saw little change in its share price on Monday, but remains down 13% year-to-date in 2025. The aggressive pricing strategy has raised concerns over slowing EV demand amid persistent weakness in the Chinese economy and heightened US-China trade tensions. Other major Chinese EV makers also saw declines on Monday, with shares of Geely, Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng falling between 4% and 9% due to fears that deeper discounts could squeeze sector profit margins. BYD announced broad price reductions across 22 electric and plug-in hybrid models, effective until 30 June, according to a post on the company's official Weibo account. The discounts, which range from 10% to 30%, apply to vehicles from its Ocean and Dynasty series. The most significant cut was for the Seal 07 DM-i model, with a discount of 53,000 yuan (€6,460), or 34%. Analysts expect rival Chinese carmakers to follow BYD's lead as domestic competition intensifies. The pricing strategy also appears aimed at reducing the excess inventory of older models. In the first four months of 2025, BYD's dealer inventory rose by approximately 150,000 units, equal to around half a month's worth of retail sales, according to CnEVPost. Citi analysts estimate that the price reductions could drive a 30% to 40% weekly surge in sales. This may potentially offset margin pressure. Despite investor concerns, BYD remains on a strong growth trajectory and continues to challenge Tesla in global markets. In April, BYD reported 380,089 sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), a 21% year-on-year increase. Overseas sales also set a new record for the fifth consecutive month. In a key milestone, BYD outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time last month, with 7,231 new battery-electric vehicles registered, a 169% year-on-year jump. By comparison, Tesla's sales have fallen across Europe in 2025, a trend attributed in part to growing anti-Tesla sentiment linked to CEO Elon Musk's political involvement. During the first quarter, BYD sold nearly 1 million vehicles, placing it firmly on track to achieve its 2025 target of 5.5 million annual vehicle sales. The company reported a net income of 9.15 billion yuan (€1.11 billion), with a gross profit margin of 20%. This compares with Tesla's $409 million (€359 million) and a 16% margin over the same period. BYD is also investing in advanced driver-assistance systems. The company's adoption of DeepSeek's R1 AI model is expected to rival Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, potentially at a significantly lower cost. In addition, BYD is China's second-largest battery manufacturer after CATL, giving it a competitive edge in cost control and vertical integration. BYD is likely to remain less impacted by US tariffs as it does not sell passenger vehicles to the US. Instead, it is focusing on Southeast Asia and South America for international growth. The company is also establishing a manufacturing plant in Hungary, which is expected to boost European sales. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD just fired another shot in China's EV price war — and investors are worried
BYD just fired another shot in China's electric vehicle price war. The Tesla rival cut prices on 22 models last week, including its entry-level Seagull EV. Shares in Chinese EV makers tumbled on Monday as investors fretted over growing competition in the sector. China's EV price war just kicked up a notch — and investors are worried. Shares in some of Tesla's biggest Chinese rivals fell sharply on Monday after a raft of price cuts announced by BYD fuelled fears over the country's brutally competitive EV industry. BYD stock closed 8.6% lower in Hong Kong, after hitting record highs last week. Shares in auto conglomerate Geely and pick-up maker Great Wall Motors fell more than 9% and 5% respectively, while EV makers Xpeng, Nio, and Li Auto also posted falls. The declines follow BYD's decision last week to cut prices on 22 electric and hybrid models until the end of June. The discounts included BYD's already cheap Seagull electric hatchback, which has fallen from 69,800 yuan ($9,700) to 55,800 yuan ($7,750), according to a post on BYD's Weibo channel. China's EV market is in the grips of a brutal price war sparked by Tesla last year, as some 100 brands fight for a piece of the world's largest auto market. Industry figures have warned that the race to the bottom is not sustainable, with many Chinese EV startups still recording billions of dollars of losses every quarter. Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer last year called the price war "ruinous" and said it could not last forever, while the boss of Xpeng warned in November that most Chinese car companies will not survive the next 10 years. BYD's price cuts come despite its sales booming this year — and not just in China. The company is on track to sell more than 5 million cars this year, and sold more electric vehicles than Tesla in Europe for the first time in April. Last week BYD unveiled the Dolphin Surf, the European version of the Seagull. The compact hatchback will go on sale in 15 European markets in June starting at 23,000 euros ($26,000) — about $19,000 less than Tesla's cheapest model. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Chinese EV shares tumble as BYD sparks ‘rat race' price war fears
Shares in BYD and other Chinese carmakers tumbled on Monday, after the electric vehicle champion fired a new salvo in a prolonged price war. Hong Kong-listed shares in the Shenzhen-based company fell nearly 9 per cent, while its rivals Geely, Li Auto and Xpeng lost 7 per cent, 5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. BYD announced a fresh round of price cuts for more than 20 models over the weekend, bringing the price tag of its cheapest model – the pure battery-powered Seagull hatchback – to as low as 55,800 renminbi (Rmb) (€6,803), according to the company's promotional posts. The biggest discount – 34 per cent – was applied to the Seal 07 plug-in hybrid sedan, a Rmb53,000 markdown on its original price of Rmb155,800. READ MORE The 'fixed price' campaign, with cuts effective until the end of June, is expected to help BYD's second-quarter shipments grow 20 to 30 per cent from the previous quarter, Citi analysts said. 'BYD ... is able to register Rmb9,000 net profit per vehicle in the second quarter,' they said in a research note. The estimate is below the full-year net income per unit guidance of Rmb10,000 that BYD management gave to analysts last month. [ Is the State about to miss another EV target? Opens in new window ] Investors have seen this as BYD protecting its dominant market share, but at the expense of margins. Meanwhile, smaller players with weaker cash positions risk a double blow – losing both profits and market share. Following BYD's move, state-owned Changan offered a cash discount worth about 15 per cent on its S07 Sport Utility Vehicle under its sub-brand Deepal. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor unveiled similar 'fixed prices' for its C16 and C11 cars over the weekend, amounting to 28 and 30 per cent cuts respectively. 'BYD holds significant pricing power in the market, so each round of its price cuts is set to prompt other car brands to follow suit, which will further intensify market competition,' said Li Yanmei, a member of the China Automobile Dealers Association. A bruising price war in the world's largest auto market has weighed on companies' earnings and accelerated industry consolidation over the past two years. China's development commission, the top national economic planning agency, warned against a 'rat race' last week. 'Some companies ... have adopted an ultra-low pricing strategy – even selling below costs,' Li Chao, a spokesperson for the agency, said at a press briefing. 'These practices exceed the boundaries and bottom lines of market competition, distort market mechanisms, and disrupt fair competition, which requires corrective action.' BYD's stock had hit a record high last week on news that it had outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD just fired another shot in China's EV price war — and investors are worried
BYD just fired another shot in China's electric vehicle price war. The Tesla rival cut prices on 22 models last week, including its entry-level Seagull EV. Shares in Chinese EV makers tumbled on Monday as investors fretted over growing competition in the sector. China's EV price war just kicked up a notch — and investors are worried. Shares in some of Tesla's biggest Chinese rivals fell sharply on Monday after a raft of price cuts announced by BYD fuelled fears over the country's brutally competitive EV industry. BYD stock closed 8.6% lower in Hong Kong, after hitting record highs last week. Shares in auto conglomerate Geely and pick-up maker Great Wall Motors fell more than 9% and 5% respectively, while EV makers Xpeng, Nio, and Li Auto also posted falls. The declines follow BYD's decision last week to cut prices on 22 electric and hybrid models until the end of June. The discounts included BYD's already cheap Seagull electric hatchback, which has fallen from 69,800 yuan ($9,700) to 55,800 yuan ($7,750), according to a post on BYD's Weibo channel. China's EV market is in the grips of a brutal price war sparked by Tesla last year, as some 100 brands fight for a piece of the world's largest auto market. Industry figures have warned that the race to the bottom is not sustainable, with many Chinese EV startups still recording billions of dollars of losses every quarter. Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer last year called the price war "ruinous" and said it could not last forever, while the boss of Xpeng warned in November that most Chinese car companies will not survive the next 10 years. BYD's price cuts come despite its sales booming this year — and not just in China. The company is on track to sell more than 5 million cars this year, and sold more electric vehicles than Tesla in Europe for the first time in April. Last week BYD unveiled the Dolphin Surf, the European version of the Seagull. The compact hatchback will go on sale in 15 European markets in June starting at 23,000 euros ($26,000) — about $19,000 less than Tesla's cheapest model. Read the original article on Business Insider
