Porsche to Streamline Operations Amid Tariff and EV Challenges

[Phosphorus Chemical Industry: Wengfu's Wet-Process 85 Phosphoric Acid Rose by 700 yuan/mt Within Half a Month, Pushing Iron Phosphate Production Costs Higher Under Pressure] On March 16, 2026, SMM reported that phosphorus giant Wengfu Group raised the ex-factory price of wet-process 85 phosphoric acid by 200 yuan/mt yesterday. Wengfu implemented a "price adjustment on every 5th" mechanism (the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month). This marked the second price adjustment in March, bringing the cumulative increase to 700 yuan/mt (it had already increased by 500 yuan/mt on March 5). The continued increases in phosphoric acid prices brought significant cost pressure to new energy enterprises, while the production costs of iron phosphate via the iron-process and sodium-process routes rose by several hundred yuan accordingly.

[SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Fluctuated Upward on March 13] SMM's battery-grade lithium carbonate index price fluctuated upward from the previous working day. Futures trend, the most-traded contract fluctuated higher after opening and once climbed to around 163,000 yuan/mt; after the midday session, the price reversed downward and once fell to 150,000 yuan/mt near the close, then fluctuated rangebound at low levels until the close. As of the close, open interest for the day decreased by about 8,500 lots from the previous trading day. Actual transactions, upstream lithium chemical plants showed a clear reluctance to sell and held prices firm, while willingness to sell spot orders remained weak; downstream material plants still mainly stayed cautious and on the sidelines, maintaining only just-in-time procurement. Overall, both market inquiries and actual transactions were sluggish. As for subsequent price movements, given that downstream procurement sentiment remained cautious and the market lacked sustained momentum to chase higher prices, lithium carbonate prices were expected to continue a fluctuating trend in the short term.

On March 13, the China Automobile Dealers Association released the results of its February 2026 "Automobile Dealer Inventory" survey: the comprehensive inventory coefficient of automobile dealers was 1.95 in February, up 31.8% MoM and up 21.1% YoY. According to data from the CPCA under the China Automobile Dealers Association, passenger vehicle retail sales totaled 1.043 million units in February. Based on this, total dealer inventory at month-end February was estimated at about 2 million units.