EV Daily | BYD Price Cuts Spur Concerns Amid Tesla Sales Slump and Alef's Flying Car Ambitions

【Tesla】

Milan Kovac, Tesla's head of the Optimus humanoid robot project, announced his departure from the company after leading the program since 2022. This comes as Elon Musk has made ambitious claims about the potential revenue from the robot. Kovac's exit marks a significant loss for Tesla, amid skepticism about Musk's revenue projections and the company's competitive edge in the humanoid robot market.

Tesla has been facing challenges in sales, attributed to CEO Elon Musk's political activities, including a controversial ad with Donald Trump. This has resulted in a drop in Tesla's North American and European sales, alongside maintaining US market incentives. Musk's political stance has impacted Tesla's brand, causing it to lose its appeal to customers and investors. Despite these challenges, Tesla's core business remains the same, but it faces increased competition, especially in Europe and China.



【BYD】

BYD's recent price cuts on its EVs have triggered warnings from Chinese officials about a potential price war. The company's top-selling Seagull EV now starts at a reduced price of 55,800 yuan. BYD's aggressive pricing strategy has raised concerns over the impact on corporate profit margins and the "Made-in-China" reputation. Despite this, BYD's sales have increased, with the company registering strong growth in Europe and the UK through new launches like the Dolphin Surf.



【Others】

Alef Aeronautics is developing an all-electric flying car, the Model A, which is claimed to be energy-efficient compared to other EVs. The company has received over 3,400 pre-orders for the car, which is expected to begin production by late 2025 or early 2026, with a price starting at $300,000. Alef is working on a more affordable Model Z, anticipated to launch by 2035.

Toyota is set to launch the bZ5 electric SUV in China, featuring BYD's Blade battery and a starting price of around $18,000. The SUV includes advanced smart driving technology and offers a significant range with fast-charging capabilities. Toyota's move is part of its strategy to capitalize on the growing EV market in China.