Chery QQ3 Launches Blind Orders, Receives Over 27,000 Orders in 3 Hours

Among Japan's three major automakers, Toyota and Nissan saw increased sales in China in January, while Honda continued to decline. Toyota's sales rose 6.6% YoY to 145,500 units, marking the first increase in five months. Nissan's sales grew 10.1% YoY to 50,024 units, the first rise in two months. Honda's sales fell 16.5% YoY to 57,489 units, declining for the 24th consecutive month, due to delays in launching new EV models.

Energy and commodities trader Mercuria recently announced the completion of its first copper and cobalt transaction with the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-owned cobalt company, EGC, marking a significant step forward in their cooperation in the field of critical metals. The deal was reached against the backdrop of the DRC government's introduction of a cobalt export quota system last year, while also requiring the implementation of EGC's mineral supply chain management and responsible sourcing standards in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Under the arrangement, the copper cathodes involved in the transaction will be shipped to markets such as the US, the UAE, or Saudi Arabia.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-owned cobalt company, EGC, and the commodity trader Trafigura recently completed the first shipment of copper and cobalt products to the international market via the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), marking a significant advancement in the logistics system for DRC's ore exports. The Lobito Railway, approximately 1,300 kilometers long, connects the deep-water port of Lobito on Angola's Atlantic coast to the DRC border city of Luau and further extends to Kolwezi, the core area of DRC's copper-cobalt resources. This reduces the land transport time from the mining area to African ports to approximately seven days, making it the shortest and most efficient route connecting DRC's mineral resources to the global market.