Byton readies for China production of $45k US-bound electric SUV

Byton M-Byte electric SUV prototypeNot too long ago, Byton was another longshot electric vehicle maker with some good ideas. But it’s already outlasted its early hype bubble and is looking increasingly likely to deliver what could be a very enticing combination to three continents—a large, spacious, long-range all-electric SUV with a new kind of interface, at a starting...

Electric car hopeful Nio closes California office amid layoffs

Nio ET Preview conceptChinese electric-car startup Nio announced Thursday that it will close an office in California and lay off 70 workers, according to a report in The Verge. The report cites a filing with the California Employment Development Department. After introducing two new SUVs alongside its high-performance electric sports car, Nio unveiled a new concept for...

Electric Honda HR-V and plug-in hybrid Kia Forte debut in Shanghai

Kia K3 at 2019 Shanghai auto showThe Shanghai auto show was full of new plug-in vehicles to meet that country's coming demand for electric cars. Two new plug-in models from mainstream automakers included the all-electric Honda X-NV SUV and the Kia K3 plug-in hybrid. While both of these models have U.S. counterparts—the Honda HR-V and Kia Forte—it's not likely we'll...

Karma gets farther from FIsker with 2020 Revero GT, electric car concept

2020 Karma Revero GTChinese-owned, California-based Karma Automotive made clear several years ago that its aspirations go well beyond merely resurrecting production of the car originally known as the Fisker Karma. That car, now called the Karma Revero, is produced in very low volumes in Moreno Valley, California, is the automaker’s only product at present. And...

Geely’s Geometry electric-car brand shows Tesla Model 3 rival for China

2019 Geometry AChinese automaker Geely is launching a new electric-car brand in China designed to take on Tesla. Geely already owns Volvo, but plans to open a new electric car brand called Geometry with lower priced model designed first for China. It calls the first model the Geometry A, a small sedan the size of the Tesla Model 3 with a choice of two battery...

Faraday Future joint venture to create electric MPV based on FF91

MPV designed by Faraday Future, for joint venture with The9Last month the troubled electric car hopeful Faraday Future was given (another) new lease on life, via a new joint venture with The9, a Chinese online game company, that will produce a new model for the Chinese market based on Faraday’s nearly mothballed FF91. It’s now a lot clearer what that vehicle, to be produced as soon as next...

Tesla reports sales down, citing delivery challenges in China and Europe

2019 Tesla Model 3 PerformanceTesla claims that its Model 3 electric sedan again in the first quarter of the year outsold all other mid-size sedans from what it considers premium brands—selling 60 percent more units than the closest runner-up. That’s the good news from the California electric car maker, in a production and deliveries update released Wednesday...

Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday night that the company would break ground on its new Chinese factory on Monday. Musk said the plant, known as Gigafactory 3, will produce up to 500,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for China and other nearby markets when it is completed in 2020. Initial construction, however, planned to be completed...

Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday night that the company would break ground on its new Chinese factory on Monday. Musk said the plant, known as Gigafactory 3, will produce up to 500,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for China and other nearby markets when it is completed in 2020. Initial construction, however, planned to be completed...