Chinese EVs Go Global

Chinese electric vehicles (EV) are making their presence felt globally. In fact, there are so many Chinese EV brands that I have lost count of. And many that admittedly, I am not familiar with.

 

Here's a sample of twenty Chinese EV brands you may or may not know about:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China passed a milestone in the green revolution in July 2024 when sales of EVs and hybrids surpassed those of internal combustion engine cars for the first time. 

 

Retail sales of “new-energy” cars – the umbrella term used in China for EVs and hybrids – made up 51.1% of all sales in that month, a giant leap from just 7% three years ago. 

 

The landmark follows a continuing surge in the popularity of EVs in the country. From January to June 2024, total sales of new-energy vehicles in China reached 4.34 million, a year-on-year increase of 35.1 percent. 

 

Already, the country’s manufacturing dominance has helped it overtake Japan as the world’s biggest vehicle exporter in 2023. 

 

This prowess in green technology, however, has put China’s EV industry in the cross hairs of the United States (including vassal state Canada) and Europe, as they worry about the impact on their own manufacturers and over-reliance on an adversary. Already, the US quadrupled the tariff rate on Chinese EVs  to 100% and which took effect September 27!

Tesla, perhaps the best-known of the EV manufacturers in Western markets, saw first-quarter sales down by 20 percent this year, compared with the same period in 2023, and their share price has slumped by more than 25 percent since the beginning of this year.

 

But make no mistake, the EV industry is still the future. And China is definitely going ahead full throttle and its EVs are taking over the world.

Proton Uncage The Tiger

Good or bad, Malaysians know Proton! 

And most of us would have owned a Proton at least once in our lifetimes. 

Now, Proton want to reclaim their position as Malaysia’s No.1 car company and among the top three in Southeast Asia by 2027, at least according to their chief executive officer Dr Li Chunrong.

Li (above photo) highlighted that the incumbent No. 3 in Southeast Asia have an annual sales of 370,000 units. And he aims to surpass that figure and sell 400,000 units by 2027. 

A lofty ambition indeed! 

It is noteworthy to mention that Proton sales for the nine-month period of 2019 totaled 70,330 units – nevertheless, this is a much-improved performance as compared to the 2018 sales of 64,744 units (Star Online, October 03, 2019). 

Proton may have a long way to go – but I don’t think we should underestimate Proton this time around.

Besides, I'm betting on China's Geely to turn around Proton. Even more encouraging is the fact that Proton have finally found the right man for the job. 

It is said that Li, a Chinese national who was headhunted for the job has been tirelessly working 12 hours a day, six days a week for the past two years at Proton Holdings Bhd to rescue the persistent loss-making company.

Definitely, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s acquisition of Proton in 2017 has been a lifesaving move because they have seen a dramatic resurgence in both quality and sales. 

For sure, Proton are heading in the right direction. Armed with a new-found purpose and drive, on September 24, 2019, they refreshed their brand – a new logo and tagline “Inspiring Connections” – and which underscores Proton’s triumphant transformation. 

Proton’s logo has morphed from the iconic shield that protects the Malaysian flag’s crescent moon and stars in 1985 and 1993, to the tiger head in 2000. (In case you didn’t know, the Malayan tiger is Malaysia’s national animal).

This year, Proton set the tiger free – there’s no more shield; instead, the logo features an “uncaged” design. And we proudly see “the tiger’s head held high, symbolizing Proton like an arrow-head, moving forward to success”.

On a side note, methinks, the logo bears a resemblance to another famous logo – ThunderCats.

Those familiar with the animated television series that used to be screened on Malaysian television in the 1980s will recognize it too.

I must confess that I'm not a fan but ThunderCats is supposed to define that period’s culture – y’know, “all the characters had that ’80s muscle-clad design that fit with the Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger hero-worship of the time” as well as embracing “the Queen-inspired glam-rock era and its weird intersection with professional wrestling”. 

If this sounds weird and perhaps even absurd – I guess, it is. 

“ThunderCats is something like the product of Schwarzenegger’s Conan having sex with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats with their offspring cosplaying as the band Kiss. But somehow, someway, it fell right in line with other ‘boy’-focused fantasy fare of the era, like Voltron, GI Joe and everyone’s favorite Eternian, He-Man”. 

I read the above somewhere and I am reproducing it here because it does describe the ThunderCats show most aptly and very correctly!

Anyway, good luck, Proton! Exciting times ahead for our national carmaker!

Time to Sell Malaysia Airlines

Khazanah Nasional Bhd were being forthright when their managing director Shahril Ridza Ridzuan (left) admitted that loss-making national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd need RM1 billion of capital per year if the government intends to sustain their current operations.

As reported by The Edge Financial Daily on Thursday, year-to-date, Khazanah have already injected RM800 million into the ailing national carrier. 

That’s a lot of money to throw away that the country can ill-afford! 

Please face up to reality that the game is up and the government needs to let go. 

I join the chorus of many other Malaysians who say let's get rid of the airline to any interested parties who are competent to manage Malaysia Airlines – instead of depending on pinheads who are only good at bleeding the company. 

Yes, it's time to sell Malaysia Airlines! 

May I be so bold as to suggest that we woo a Chinese airline? 

We didn’t go wrong when we sold Proton to Geely, did we? And just like Proton, Malaysia Airlines too shall surrender a 49.9% stake.

Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match against the Dons was an easy win for Celtic. I had expected goals galore and they didn't disappoint. They delivered four goals, all in the first half. 

Odsonne Edouard gave us the first goal when he ran past Aberdeen defenders one by one before beating goalkeeper Joe Lewis with a low drive from the edge of the box in the tenth minute. 

Five minutes afterward, full back Jeremie Frimpong scored his first goal for the club, scrambling Tom Rogic’s deflected effort over the line and making it 2-0. 

In the thirty-seventh minute, Rogic was involved in the third, playing a through ball for Mohamed Elyounoussi who took a touch before James Forrest carried the ball forward to beat the Aberdeen goalie. 

The Dons’ day of dispirited despondency was complete in the forty-fifth minute when Elyounoussi chested down a Forrest cross before firing home the fourth. 

The only positive for Aberdeen was that the scoring stopped at four.