Chaoji, a new EV charging standard developed by industry groups in China and Japan, has been certified by the Chinese government as a national standard.
Coplus has long been known as the "Apple of automobile lighting mods" with its industry leading design and R&D capacities. With V2X connectivity on the rise, Coplus plans to build connectivity into its components in two to three years with AI wheel lights, electronic rear view mirrors, and AI shock absorbers. In addition, the company will leverage big data to improve its design and manufacturing processes, as well as help users monitor component usage. Coplus is the first company from the Taiwan Innovative Board (TIB) initiative to file for stock market listing in 2023, and is expected to be listed in mid-October.
China-based EV maker BYD has been scaling up in overseas markets. Besides the competition with Tesla, its entry into the Thai market has garnered much attention. Support from Taiwan-based automotive parts suppliers has become essential for the carmaker's ambition in foreign markets.
Chinese EVs are establishing a foothold in the European market. The European Commission has said it will launch an anti-subsidy investigation on cheap EVs imported from China. EV suppliers said it is necessary for Chinese companies to develop overseas markets. However, the concern about data privacy, which has emerged in several sectors, will likely hinder their efforts.
As the automotive industry gets out of the downturn, sales have grown steadily. Taiwan-based automotive safety parts suppliers Iron Force Industrial Co. and Orange Electronic both said industry recovery has benefited their operations.
Tesla's Mexican plant is under construction. Besides the EV giant, emerging US carmakers like Lucid and Rivian and veteran General Motors and Ford all plan to set up a production base at the US-Mexico border. Monterrey and Juarez City host most of the companies.
After the reconfiguration of global supply chains, it will mark the beginning of Taiwan's great navigation era, and the trend of large-scale supply chain relocation has made supply chain management even more crucial, James C.F. Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), has said.
The European Commission announced on September 13 that it will initiate an investigation to decide whether it will increase tariffs on China-made EVs. While the Chinese automotive industry has anticipated the move, it said the European Union should view the development of China-based EV makers objectively rather than increasing their operation costs.
Light electric vehicles are rising in Asia. Canadian startup Zen Energy sees the opportunity and has developed batteries with quadruple lifetime for two and three-wheelers. The company has chosen India as a launchpad to expand its business in Asia.
As Tesla proceeds with the construction project of a gigafactory in Mexico, the total investment is said to surge, according to Mexico's Nuevo Leon governor, Samuel Garcia, who added that the EV maker and its suppliers are expected to invest a total of US$15 billion, triple the original amount.
As the trade and tech conflicts between China and the US escalate, there's a burgeoning trend among international businesses to hedge their bets despite the large local market in China. Many companies are implementing a "China+1" risk diversification plan, looking beyond China for new regional manufacturing bases.
Leading Chinese EV industry players BYD, CATL and Horizon Robotics participated in the IAA Mobility 2023 in Germany last week. Robin Zeng, CATL's founder and chairman, mentioned the sustainability of batteries and said the company already operates four zero-carbon battery plants. His remarks were viewed as a response to the European Union's new Batteries Regulation.
Taiwan-based LFP battery material manufacturer Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry (Aleees) updated its website on September 11, revealing that it now works with over 48 global customers. Compared with what it disclosed in January 2023, Aleees added one large EV customer in the US and one energy storage system (ESS) customer in Taiwan and Japan, respectively. It also supplies six more companies in India.
As the demand for EVs in India continues to rise, so does the need for batteries. At the moment, lithium-ion batteries are the primary roadblock in India's efforts to be self-sufficient in the EV sphere. Although the country has identified some lithium reserves, extracting them remains a distant goal.
China-based new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers have scaled up in the past years, driving the semiconductor market growth. The automotive-grade MCU market has also expanded.
China-based battery maker Gotion High-tech took another step forward to expand in the US. The company will establish a battery plant in Manteno, Illinois, in response to the growing market. The facility is slated to start production next year.
Inventec has five certified production bases dedicated to automotive product manufacturing, enabling the company to establish a presence within the supply chains of automobile vendors based in Europe, the US, and China, according to Lino Li, VP of the company's automotive business unit.
Taiwan's car components industry, which focuses on exports, has seen its output value hit a record high while challenges like inflation and rising interest rates remain. The Ministry of Economic Affairs said Taiwan will accelerate the development of 5G, EV, biotech and pharmaceutical industry in 2024 to become an essential supplier in the world.
Bosch, the global leader among Tier 1 automotive suppliers, recently announced its exit from the development of high-end autonomous vehicle LiDAR sensors and that it is reallocating its resources toward mmWave radar and other sensing technologies.
The MEMS and Sensors Forum, part of Semicon Taiwan 2023, was held on September 5. Keynote speaker Prashanth Doreswamy, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Components (India) Pvt., said the primary catalyst of automotive technology development has shifted from horsepower to chips. Next-generation cars rely on electronics to enhance their performance.
China-based autonomous driving chip developer Horizon Robotics is showcasing solutions for smart driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) powered by its Journey chip series at IAA Mobility 2023. The company said deliveries of the Journey chips are approaching four million units.
Passive components manufacturers have been adjusting their inventory since the fourth quarter of 2021. Sources said the industry is on the upswing from the lowest point, with the inventory generally returning to a healthy level. The demand will rebound gradually.
LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between LG Electronics and tier-1 automotive supplier Magna International, announced on September 4 that it will build a new production facility in Hungary. Construction is expected to be finished in 2025.
