Automobiles

Toyota Motor aims to commercialize solid-state batteries by 2025, starting with hybrid vehicles. (Photo courtesy of Toyota)
Energy

Solid-state batteries, artificial photosynthesis lead Japan's energy R&D

Drive to achieve scale in both technologies to continue in 2023

17 January 2023
ComfortDelGro has conducted tests of self-driving taxis in Singapore. (Photo courtesy of ComfortDelGro)
Automobiles

Top Singapore taxi company buys into Israeli self-driving startup

ComfortDelGro expands tie-up strategy with $4m bet on software developer Ottopia

17 January 2023
BYD, the world’s top seller of new energy vehicles, saw strong sales growth in 2022.
Caixin

China NEV sales jump in 2022, with some makers far out in front

Sector already tops official 2025 target for delivery of new energy vehicles

16 January 2023
Yunchuang Zhixing specializes in self-driving technology in the sanitation industry and has developed operational solutions for driverless sweepers. (Photo courtesy of the company)
36Kr/KrASIA

Baidu-backed Chinese startup to push self-driving sweeping vehicles

Yunchuang Zhixing's driverless sweepers upgraded for cities, factories

15 January 2023
NGK Insulators plans to use AI to drastically speed up the development of new materials. (Photo courtesy of NGK)
Materials

Japanese materials maker sees AI cutting R&D time by 90%

NGK Insulators trying to shift from auto parts to chips and other growth fields

14 January 2023
BYD India Senior Vice President Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, right, at the unveiling of the company's Atto 3 electric SUV at India's Auto Expo 2023.
Automobiles

China's BYD accelerates drive into India's electric car market

World's top EV seller targets rapid sales growth in South Asian nation

13 January 2023
The rise of China and its increasingly ambitious electric vehicle makers have presented Japan with its first serious rival in Thailand. (Source photos by Kyodo and Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Thailand's auto industry becomes a Japan-China battleground

'Detroit of Southeast Asia' courts investment from both of Asia's giants

13 January 2023
Tata Motors unveils the Sierra EV at the Auto Expo 2023 in Greater Noida, India, on Jan. 11.
Automobiles

India's Tata Motors debuts 2 new electric SUVs at expo

EVs to account for half of automaker's lineup by 2030

12 January 2023
A Ford Motor truck equipped with an SK battery is displayed at an expo in South Korea. (Photo courtesy of SK group)
Automobiles

Ford set to tap LG for Turkey EV battery plant, replacing SK

SK On faces blow to expansion strategy while trailing rival in tech and cash

11 January 2023
Maruti Suzuki says its eVX vehicle will have a driving range of 550 km. 
Automobiles

Maruti Suzuki charges up India fleet with concept electric SUV

Country's largest automaker expects to start selling vehicle in 2025

11 January 2023
A Nichicon model house features a V2H system that draws power from electric cars into the home. (Photo by Yuji Ohira)
Technology

Powering homes with EVs: Panasonic, Omron set to enter Japan's V2H market

Vehicle-to-home systems draw interest as electricity prices soar

10 January 2023
Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki spoke with reporters at the automaker's headquarters in the central Japanese city of Hamamatsu. (Photo by Toshihide Takeda) 
Automobiles

Suzuki boss expects rocky road to sub-$15,000 electric minicar

Rising materials costs pose high hurdle even with subsidies and pared specs

9 January 2023
The Sony-Honda Afeela EV features numerous displays, including this one that stretches from the driver's side to the passenger side of the vehicle. (Source photos by Natsumi Kawasaki and Getty Images)
CES 2023

Getting a feel for Sony-Honda's Afeela EV at CES 2023

Entertainment-heavy slant of venture's first car makes for immersive experience

8 January 2023
BYD's U9 supercar and U8 luxury SUV are part of a new line catering to wealthy consumers. (Image from BYD online presentation)
Automobiles

BYD unveils SUV and supercar in new luxury EV line

Premium Yangwang brand features company's latest driving, safety tech

6 January 2023
Cars parked at Maruti Suzuki's plant in Manesar, India. Along with Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and other Indian automakers saw sales grow last year.
Automobiles

India tops Japan to become world's No. 3 auto market

Sales rebound from COVID lows and production disruptions

6 January 2023
Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno at the Afeela reveal: "We want to think outside of the box to revisit the underlying philosophy of vehicle design." (Photo by Natsumi Kawasaki)
CES 2023

Sony showcases its first EV brand Afeela ahead of CES 2023

Joint venture with Honda offers Level 3 self-driving, full in-car entertainment

5 January 2023
An agreement between Nissan and Renault on intellectual property would be a breakthrough for the two automakers, which are reviewing their capital ties.
Nissan-Renault alliance

Nissan limits use of joint IP in Renault's new venture with Geely

Deal is step forward in rethink of Japanese, French automakers' ties

5 January 2023
LG Electronics and Magna are expanding cooperation in self-driving technology. (Photo courtesy of LG Electronics)
CES 2023

LG partners with Magna in developing self-driving technology

South Korean tech company expands collaboration with Canadian auto parts maker

4 January 2023
An oversupply of semiconductors for data centers will likely last through the first quarter of this year, analysts say. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Semiconductors

Chip glut to last most of 2023 while automotive crunch persists

Inventory of memory, other semiconductors have swelled amid tech slump

4 January 2023
Electric vehicles only account for 2% of new vehicle sales in Japan due to the lack of charging stations. (Photo by Masyauki Kozono)
Automobiles

Japan to relax rules on fast EV chargers, jump-starting rollout

Installation of high-power charging stations hindered by heavy costs

4 January 2023
The 2022 Auto Guangzhou motor show opened on Dec. 30 in the southern Chinese city. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Automobiles

China EV makers worried by end of subsidies and chip crunch

Bumper sales year gives way to uncertain outlook for world's biggest market

30 December 2022
The Chentian auto parts market in Guangzhou. Fewer counterfeit components had been found in China in recent years, but the problem appears to be on the rise again.
Automobiles

Geely, Changan join Honda-led effort against fake auto parts in China

Global automakers seek to root out counterfeits and raise awareness

29 December 2022
A Toyota bZ Compact SUV Concept electric vehicle at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show. Japanese automakers sell far fewer EVs than the foreign competition.
Business trends

How success in hybrid cars turned Japan into an EV laggard

China and Western automakers dominate a field pioneered by Japanese players

29 December 2022
Freetech Intelligent System CEO CEO Zhang Lin has vowed to mass produce autonomous driving systems using its "first-mover advantage." (Photo courtesy of the company)
36Kr/KrASIA

Chinese self-driving startup Freetech raises nearly $100m

Company to use money to develop more all-in-one self-driving systems

28 December 2022
Toyota is on track to become the world's top automaker for a third straight year.  
Automobiles

Toyota set to lead global auto sales for 3rd straight year

Rival VW stumbles in China amid lockdowns and chip shortage

27 December 2022