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By Aditi Shah, India Autos Correspondent

Happy Friday from New Delhi, where preparations are underway for India’s Independence Day celebrations early next week at a 17th century fort in the country’s capital.  

There’s a festive mood here in the run up to the big day with flag sellers lining the streets and running up to cars stopped at traffic lights to sell little tri-coloured paper flags. Buildings and historic monuments are lit up in orange, green and white and a patriotic sentiment blankets the country for a few days.  

As for me, I’m just looking forward to a long weekend! 

Today’s auto file has a similar story of patriotism, only that it’s coming from China and is about cars. 

Today –

• • BYD says it is Chinese autos vs rest of the world

  • A win for robotaxis, as California says yes to autonomous rides
  • Indonesia wants to be the EV alternative to China

People visit the BYD booth during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song

China’s biggest private carmaker BYD wants the country’s auto industry to unite and “demolish the old legends” of the global car market in favor of newer Chinese brands. At an event this week, the Tesla rival’s founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu said “the time has come for Chinese brands”. On display behind him as he spoke was an image of the logos of 12 major Chinese automakers.

A video released by BYD, which went viral, shows historical footage, sweeping vistas and cars being loaded for export. “Our stories are different from each other but share the same direction,” the narrator says, adding in reference to overseas markets: “There’s no distinction between ‘you’ and ‘me’.” It ends with a call for China’s automakers to “demolish the old legends and achieve new world-class brands,” under the slogan, “Chinese Autos”.

Global automakers are already worried about China’s growing dominance and expanding footprint into parts of Asia, Europe and the Americas. If not directly by way of car manufacturing and sales, then through control of the EV supply chain. With its home market becoming crowded, China has been looking for growth overseas, but it has not been easy to please wary consumers and appease circumspect regulators. In at least one major market, India, the Chinese (and mainly BYD) have been shut out, giving room to Tesla to capture ground. 

A Waymo rider-only robotaxi is seen during a test ride in San Francisco, California, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Paresh Dave

Self-driving cars have won. At least, in California.

After a contentious vote, Google’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise will be allowed to ferry passengers day and night in San Francisco in robotaxis, in a pat-on-the-back moment for the autonomous vehicle industry. The two companies have been testing their services in the city but at limited times and geographies.

The California Public Utilities Commission sided with the companies despite strong opposition from some residents and city agencies, like the police and fire departments, that fear this could interrupt their work. Those in favor were tech specialists and some residents that considered robots to be safer drivers than humans!

Waymo and Cruise will now directly compete with Uber and Lyft in San Francisco, in what could also become a crucial test for the future of the ride-hailing industry. While there has been talk of moving to autonomous rides, the steps in that direction have been small and cautious by legacy players.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo walks after looking at MG4 EV electric car at the Morris Garages booth during Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

As it races with India and Thailand to establish itself as an EV hub, Indonesia is offering EV makers two more years to qualify for incentives to set up manufacturing in Southeast Asia’s largest car market. Global automakers are looking for an EV alternative to China, giving Asian nations like India, Thailand and Indonesia ground to make a bid and tailor incentives to rope in the biggies like Tesla.

Under the new rules, automakers need to commit to at least 40% of EV content being produced in Indonesia by 2026, pushing out an earlier deadline by two years. India, too, has a similar program for companies where it will offer incentives for local production of EVs and its components, including batteries. But convincing companies to expand EV production to multiple markets has not been easy, especially with demand for clean cars still uncertain without government support.

EV maker Vinfast expects to start trading on the Nasdaq as soon as next week. Vinfast’s blank-check partner, Hong Kong-based Black Spade, approved the merger with Vietnam’s Tesla equivalent, finally paving the way for the listing.

China’s Zeekr, Geely Automobile’s EV brand, will launch its first luxury sports car expected to be priced above 1 million yuan ($140,000), with a source saying the first batch of cars could be delivered this year. While the price war with Tesla is forcing some Chinese EV makers to launch more cost-efficient products, others are going upmarket to seek higher margins.

Britain’s upper house of parliament is launching an inquiry into the government’s approach to phasing out fossil-fuel models, charging infrastructure and end-of-life disposal of EVs. The House of Lords wants to “understand how the government will achieve its target of decarbonising cars and vans in the UK”. The UK government has announced a ban on the sale of new fossil-fuel-only model cars by 2030.

A Tesla Model X which crashed in the U.S. last year has come online in a distant part of the world – war-torn Ukraine! The car started sending notifications to the former owner who also found that his Spotify account was being used by the new owners to listen to Drake radio playlists. With cars becoming internet-connected devices, such incidents are raising security concerns over personal data.

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