Daimler-BYD Set For 2012 BEV China Prototype

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By Danny King October 12, 2011

Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG and its Chinese automaker partner BYD are on schedule to produce the prototype of their first battery-electric vehicles (BEV) as soon as next spring, despite recent layoffs and production delays by BYD, according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, Edmunds.com's Inside Line reported. Daimler, which formed the joint-venture with BYD last year, will supply the majority of the BEV's new technology and says the design of the car is "frozen," indicating that no further design changes are required.

Germany-based Daimler is pushing towards the BEV's development in order to cater to a China market expected to take the lead in BEV demand over the next few years. The Chinese government provides a $9,200 subsidy for domestically-produced BEVs, in addition to another $9,200 provided in five major cities. Largely because of such subsidies and the growing purchasing power among the Chinese middle class, China's annual BEV sales will surge to about 554,000 vehicles in 2015 from less than 33,000 last year, and the country will overtake Japan as the largest BEV maker in the Asia Pacific region, said Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm specializing in clean technology markets, in a recent report.

In May 2010, Daimler and BYD, which is 10 percent owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, agreed to create a 50-50 research and technology joint venture that would develop an electric vehicle for China. The contract to form Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding two months prior to establish the JV. The vehicle was to be marketed under a new brand jointly created and owned by Daimler and BYD.

Since then, BYD has seen its profits fall largely from its inability to launch its e6 battery-electric crossover vehicle in the U.S. The automaker, which purchased a site near downtown Los Angeles for assembly of the model, has publicly postponed launch plans by more than a year to 2012. It seems highly improbable that BYD will begin selling the model in America next year. The delay has been a major setback for the ambitions of the company, which wants to use electric-vehicle technology to close the distance with more-established global carmakers.

Still, Daimler continues to work with BYD as a way to push into electric-vehicle production in China to challenge luxury-segment leader BMW AG, while the tie-up gives Shenzhen-based BYD access to Daimler technologies. The two companies have said they will invest $90 million in the 50-50 partnership. Daimler's electric-vehicle strategy includes large-scale production of a battery-powered version of its Smart minicar, starting next year. Daimler this past July also established a 50-50 joint venture with major automotive parts supplier Robert Bosch GmbH to produce motors for BEVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Danny King:  is a frequent contributor to AutoObserver.com.

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China Will Be Asia's Biggest EV Maker By 2015

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By Danny King October 7, 2011

China will overtake Japan as the largest battery-electric-vehicle (BEV) maker in the Asia Pacific region as Chinese automakers look to take a bigger chunk of the of the global automotive market that's likely to turn more to electric-drive vehicles amid rising fuel costs and stricter emissions guidelines, Pike Research said in a recent report. Unlike the United States and Europe, China will have many smaller automakers instead a few larger ones, with more than 50 companies currently attempting to develop BEVs. China's annual BEV sales will surge to about 554,000 vehicles in 2015 from less than 33,000 last year, according to Pike Research. China's BEV sales will grow at a rate of more than 40 percent a year, while Japan's BEV sales will grow less than 10 percent annually. As a result, China will account for 45 percent of the BEVs sold in Asia Pacific, compared with Japan's 36 percent.

"China, where around 55 vendors are developing electrified vehicles or launching BEV development programs, will likely create and lead an entirely new category around clean transportation," senior analyst Andy Bae said in a statement.  "The country will become one of the biggest consumer markets for BEVs, and global industry players want to enter this market to tap the related opportunities."

With such growth, China will likely play a progressively larger role within a global electric-drive vehicle market set to surge. More than 5 million BEVs and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles will be sold globally during the next six years because of a combination of rising fuel prices, more stringent greenhouse-gas standards and government incentives, Pike Research said in an August report. Cumulative sales of plug-in electrics will reach 5.2 million vehicles in 2017, up from 114,000 vehicles this year. By 2017, Asia Pacific will account for almost half the consumer purchases of electric-drive vehicles, while North America and Western Europe will each account for about 25 percent, according to Pike's August report.

Danny King:  is a frequent contributor to AutoObserver.com.

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Ford Appoints China CEO

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By AutoObserver Staff September 23, 2011

Ford Motor Co. has elected former controller of the Americas David L. Schoch as a company officer and named him to the role of chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China. The new role is effective November 1, and Schoch will report to Joe Hinrichs, group vice president and president, Asia Pacific and Africa. Schoch, 60, will assume direct responsibility for the operations and business leadership of Ford in China. “We have put in place aggressive expansion plans for Ford in China,” said Hinrichs. “As Ford China enters into a phase of accelerated growth, Dave, with his unique combination of skills and experience, is well suited to lead Ford China and take our expansion plans to the next level, including bringing four new plants on line and launching 15 new vehicles by 2015.”

Replacing Schoch as controller of the Americas is K.R. Kent, currently executive director of investor relations. As senior finance leader for all of the Americas, Kent, 48, will report to Mark Fields, Ford’s executive VP and president of the Americas. Since joining Ford as a financial analyst in 1977, Schoch has held a variety of positions including executive director, Ford Canada, Mexico and South America operations. He also served as chief financial officer and vice president of strategic planning for Ford of Europe and chief financial officer of Ford Asia-Pacific Operations. Schoch holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Lycoming College and an MBA in finance from Temple University.

AutoObserver Staff:  The best in the business.

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New Investor Refocuses Boston Power On China

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By John O'Dell September 23, 2011

Lithium battery developer Boston Power is shifting its focus -- and some of its manpower -- to China after a Chinese-led investment group acquired a huge stake in the six-year-old startup. This week Beijing-based GSR Ventures and the People’s Republic of China announced a $125 million investment in the Massachusetts-based company, a deal that was coupled with several key resignations. Responsibility for R&D, customer support, intellectual property development, and sales and business development will remain U.S.-based, but top executives responsible for several of those functions resigned in advance of the public announcement. Stepping down were Boston Power’s relatively new chief executive Keith Schmid, chief financial officer Steve Byram and marketing vice president Sally Bament.

The investment involved a mix of cash and incentives backed by China’s central government and proffered to help Boston Power build a second manufacturing plant there. The new plant, slated to open at the end of 2012, would boost the company’s annual production to a total of 400 megawatt-hours of batteries. That’s about a third of what company founder and executive chairman Christina Lampe-Onnerud has said Boston Power needs to be a significant player in the advanced battery segment now dominated by companies such as South Korean giant LG Chem (the Chevrolet Volt’s battery), France’s SAFT and U.S.-based Johnson Controls. With the new investment, Boston Power has raised about $325 million in capital since it was founded in 2005.

Power Shift
The company had applied for $100 million in federal funding in 2009 to help it build a new factory in Massachusetts, but its application was rejected and it then turned its attention to the Asian market. Boston Power officials could not be reached for comment, but in a statement issued earlier this week said that the new Chinese investment and incentive package would be used “predominantly to scale manufacturing, research and development, and business development activities in China.” As part of the new focus on China, Boston Power said it intends to shift “a number of positions and responsibilities” to China from its headquarters in Westborough, Mass.

A Boston-area newspaper reported that 30 of 80 jobs in the company’s headquarters would be eliminated. Boston Power has not announced replacements for the three departed U.S. executives. Schmid, formerly head of Virginia-based Distributer Power, joined the company as CEO in February when Lampe-Onnerud left that post to become executive chairman. Under the new deal, Lampe-Onnerude will serve as the company’s “international chairman” while GSR Ventures’ managing director Sonny Wu, a former Chinese telecom and semiconductor industry executive, has assumed the post of chairman of the board of directors, typically a more hands-on position.

EV Industry Beckons
While Boston Power began as a laptop battery developer, the company has recently moved into the hybrid and electric arena and is developing an EV battery research and engineering center in China. Wu said in a statement that he sees “rapidly expanding demand for Boston Power’s batteries (in China), as highlighted by the government’s unprecedented support for electric vehicles.” Onnerud started Boston Power with the aim of improving on an already-existing battery chemistry rather than developing an entirely new formulation. The Swedish-born international chairman was educated as a chemist and formerly was an Arthur D. Little battery industry consultant and headed global battery development for Massachusetts-based technology commercialization company Tiax.

Boston Power says its improved lithium-cobalt (Li-Co) batteries have three times the life of batteries using the same basic chemistry. Initially designed for laptop computers, the Li-Co chemistry eliminates the thermal build up that can diminish battery performance and, in rare instances, cause battery fires – a situation that resulted in the 2010 recall of more than 500,000 Sony laptops. Lithium-ion battery packs developed for automotive use are subject to considerable thermal stress, and safety and reliability have become key marketing tools for battery makers.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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New Investor Refocuses Boston Power On China

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By John O'Dell September 23, 2011

Lithium battery developer Boston Power is shifting its focus -- and some of its manpower -- to China after a Chinese-led investment group acquired a huge stake in the six-year-old startup. This week Beijing-based GSR Ventures and the People’s Republic of China announced a $125 million investment in the Massachusetts-based company, coupled with several key resignations. Responsibility for R&D, customer support, intellectual property development, and sales and business development will remain U.S.-based, but top executives responsible for several of those functions resigned in advance of the public announcement. Stepping down were Boston Power’s relatively new chief executive Keith Schmid, chief financial officer Steve Byram and marketing vice president Sally Bament.

The investment involved a mix of cash and incentives backed by China’s central government and proffered to help Boston Power build a second manufacturing plant there. The new plant, slated to open at the end of 2012, would boost the company’s annual production to a total of 400 megawatt-hours of batteries. That’s about a third of what company founder and executive chairman Christina Lampe-Onnerud has said Boston Power needs to be a significant player in the advanced battery segment now dominated by companies such as South Korean giant LG Chem (the Chevrolet Volt’s battery), France’s SAFT and U.S.-based Johnson Controls. With the new investment, Boston Power has raised about $325 million in capital since it was founded in 2005.

Power Shift
The company had applied for $100 million in federal funding in 2009 to help it build a new factory in Massachusetts, but its application was rejected and it then turned its attention to the Asian market. Boston Power officials could not be reached for comment, but in a statement issued earlier this week said that the new Chinese investment and incentive package would be used “predominantly to scale manufacturing, research and development, and business development activities in China.” As part of the new focus on China, Boston Power said it intends to shift “a number of positions and responsibilities” to China from its headquarters in Westborough, Mass.

A Boston-area newspaper reported that 30 of 80 jobs in the company’s headquarters would be eliminated. Boston Power has not announced replacements for the three departed U.S. executives. Schmid, formerly head of Virginia-based Distributer Power, joined the company as CEO in February when Lampe-Onnerud left that post to become executive chairman. Under the new deal, Lampe-Onnerude will serve as the company’s “international chairman” while GSR Ventures’ managing director Sonny Wu, a former Chinese telecom and semiconductor industry executive, has assumed the post of chairman of the board of directors, typically a more hands-on position.

EV Industry Beckons
While Boston Power began as a laptop battery developer, the company has recently moved into the hybrid and electric arena and is developing an EV battery research and engineering center in China. Wu said in a statement that he sees “rapidly expanding demand for Boston Power’s batteries (in China), as highlighted by the government’s unprecedented support for electric vehicles.” Onnerud started Boston Power with the aim of improving on an already-existing battery chemistry rather than developing an entirely new formulation. The Swedish-born international chairman is an educated chemist, former Arthur D. Little battery industry consultant, and head of global battery development for Massachusetts-based technology commercialization company Tiax.

The company says its improved lithium-cobalt (Li-Co) batteries have three times the life of batteries using the same basic chemistry. Initially designed for laptop computers, the Li-Co chemistry eliminates the thermal build up that can diminish battery performance and, in rare instances, cause battery fires – a situation that resulted in the 2010 recall of more than 500,000 Sony laptops. Lithium-ion battery packs developed for automotive use are subject to considerable thermal stress, and safety and reliability have become key marketing tools for battery makers.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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GM, SAIC To Develop Electric Cars For China

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By Michelle Krebs September 20, 2011

General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp. have agreed to co-develop vehicle architecture and components for electric cars in China. GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky said in a conference call from Shanghai Tuesday that the vehicles the companies will develop will be pure electric, not range extended like the Chevrolet Volt. They will be dedicated EVs and not a current model converted to be electric. Both GM and SAIC will have their own versions of the new EV. He refused to reveal timing of their introduction and would not reveal the investment being made in the project, except to say it would be a 50-50 split between the two companies.

Girsky likened the GM-SAIC electric car deal to an agreement announced in August with Korea’s LG Chem to develop electric cars. The major difference is the GM-SAIC will be for China; the GM-LG Chem developed EVs will be for the rest of the world. “We have said we will co-develop with partners new technologies that are expensive and high risk,” Girsky told analysts and media Tuesday. “We will use partners where it is prudent to lower the investment cost, lower the risk, help bring the technology to market faster and, hopefully, scale the technology to bring down costs.” And there will be more such deals, Girsky assured, with traditional automakers like SAIC as well as non-traditional companies like LG Chem. “We (GM) are going to have a broad range of advance propulsion systems – electrics, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, extended range vehicles. We will use different partners for different products.”

Partners for nearly 15 years, GM and SAIC will co-develop the electric vehicle architecture – their first – at their 50-50 jointly-operated Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). Under the agreement, teams of SAIC, GM and PATAC engineers will work together to develop key components, as well as vehicle structures and architectures. Vehicles resulting from the partnership will be sold in China under Shanghai GM and SAIC brands. While Girsky said the vehicles will be sold in China, GM’s statement said it SAIC “will also use the architecture to build electric vehicles around the globe for their own purposes.” EVs are seen as part of the solution to meet more stringent emission and fuel economy regulations required by China as well as other countries.

Intellectual Property
The GM-SAIC electric car deal comes against the backdrop of the United States squabbling with China over intellectual property. It was reported that the Chinese government was insisting on access to the technology used in the Chevrolet Volt, which goes on sale in China soon, in exchange for government rebates that total nearly $20,000 a vehicle, incentives aimed at spurring sales of advanced technology vehicles. Girsky denied that was the situation. “Let’s get the Volt story off the table,” he said early in his conference call Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of noise around the Volt. We’ve had no requests for intellectual property from our partner SAIC or the Chinese government,” he insisted.

Girsky said GM knew from the start that the Volt would be subject to tariffs on imported vehicles – the Volt will not be built in China for now but imported from GM’s Detroit plant. GM also recognized that the imported Volt would not qualify for incentives on locally produced, advanced technology vehicles – incentives Girsky said GM hopes will be extended to all vehicles – including the Volt – in the future. Still, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Debbie Stabenow have called for a formal investigation of Chinese trade practices -- described as attempted “shakedowns” of American companies to provide technology secrets. "The Chevrolet Volt represents intellectual property developed in the United States and paid for by General Motors research and development dollars," Levin wrote in his letter to government officials. "The U.S. government must not allow China to coerce American companies to give their technology away to foreign competitors in order to have access to their markets."

Girsky pointed out that GM, one of the first Western companies to set up shop in China, has been doing business with its sole Chinese partner, SAIC, for nearly 15 years with no issues around intellectual property. “We’ve got 10 joint ventures with SAIC. We’ve been growing share in the market and making a lot of money because we are working with our partner SAIC to satisfy customers. This is not a political decision but a business decision,” he said of the EV partnership. As for the Volt, GM’s plans to import it to China are moving forward. GM intends to sell a small number of Volts in lots of markets to gauge consumer reaction to the range-extended EV around the globe. “Then we’ll see where we go from there,” Girsky said.

Doubling Down In China
The GM-SAIC agreement for electric-car development was signed Tuesday in Shanghai by SAIC Chairman Hu Maoyuan and GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson on the heels of a just-completed, two-day monthly meeting of the GM board of directors, a new board formed after GM’s 2009 Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As the first board meeting held outside of the United States by the new board, China was selected  because it is now the world’s largest vehicle market and is critically important to GM, which is the largest foreign vehicle manufacturer in the country. Girsky said the board toured GM’s operations and met with GM’s China team as well as with SAIC. In addition to its ventures in China, SAIC and GM operate a joint venture in India, and SAIC is an investor in GM Korea Co. Girsky noted that the buzz has long been that China has excess capacity and break-neck growth is unsustainable. “Demand has been slowing from its very strong pace of the last few years,” he said. “But we think there’s a lot of long term opportunity here for development of the passenger car market.”

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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Beijing Gives Nissan OK To Export Leaf To China

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By Scott Doggett September 15, 2011

Nissan Motor Co. has received permission from Beijing to sell its Leaf (above) battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in China and is prepared to do so, the head of the company's Chinese venture said Wednesday. Speaking with reporters at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, Kimiyasu Nakamura, president of Dongfeng Motor Co., said Nissan will be the first to import an electric vehicle to China. However, Nakamura did not say when the imports will begin. Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, currently builds the sleek four-door hatchback in Oppama, Japan, and plans to add output in Tennessee and the U.K. "If sales numbers of the Leaf go up, we may discuss producing the Leaf in China," Nakamura said.

Nissan began selling the Leaf last December and had sold about 11,000 Leafs globally as of mid-July, according to company statement. The carmaker plans to introduce seven additional electric models by fiscal 2016 and is targeting sales of 1.5 million electric vehicles over the next six years along with its French partner, Renault SA. "The Leaf does not hit the Chinese market's sweet spot now, in terms of price, but that will change as unit sales grow," Nakamura said. He said the company's long-term goal would be manufacturing the Leaf in China. China is Nissan's largest market, where it has a 6.2 percent share. Nissan, which also plans to launch a lower-priced electric vehicle designed for the Chinese market, is targeting annual sales in China of 2.3 million units in 2015, up from 1.3 million last year.

Nissan announced earlier this week that it would soon start selling the Leaf in Sweden. European deliveries of the all-electric model have already begun in the U.K., The Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal and France. Order books have also opened in Switzerland, Spain and Belgium with customers in those markets expected to start receiving their cars shortly. Norway and Denmark have announced sales will start in autumn. The first deliveries in Sweden are expected to start at the first quarter of 2012.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.

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