Volkswagen CEO Announces Production Network Adjustments, Targets 9 Million Units Annual Capacity

[Solid-State Battery: South Korea's ECOPRO BM Unveils Development Roadmap for Core Materials of All-Solid-State Batteries] On July 16, 2026, ECOPRO BM held a corporate briefing for general investors at the NH Investment & Securities headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, where Management Representative Kim Jangwoo, R&D Executive Director Gong Bohyeon, and Procurement Executive Director Shin Hosang attended and spoke. On July 19, the company officially unveiled its development roadmap for core materials of all-solid-state batteries, covering solid-state electrolytes, next-generation cathode and anode materials, and sodium-ion batteries.

The China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance released monthly power battery data for June 2026: In June, China's sales of power and ESS batteries were 196.0 GWh, up 7.6% MoM and up 49.1% YoY. Among them, power battery sales were 133.4 GWh, accounting for 68.1% of total sales, up 5.0% MoM and up 41.8% YoY; ESS battery sales were 62.6 GWh, accounting for 31.9% of total sales, up 13.4% MoM and up 67.5% YoY. January-June, China's cumulative sales of power and ESS batteries were 979.4 GWh, up 48.6% YoY. Among them, cumulative power battery sales were 661.3 GWh, accounting for 67.5% of total sales, up 36.2% YoY; cumulative ESS battery sales were 318.1 GWh, accounting for 32.5% of total sales, up 83.4% YoY.

Recently, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) released automobile production and sales data for June and H1 2026. In June, production and sales reached 2.76 million and 2.81 million units, up 5.5% and 6.9% MoM, respectively, while down 1.2% and 3.2% YoY, respectively. In H1 2026, cumulative production and sales totaled 14.993 million and 15.017 million units, down 4% and 4.1% YoY, respectively. Looking to H2, CAAM believes that the program of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins will continue to be implemented in an orderly manner, auto aftermarket consumption is expected to usher in new growth opportunities, enterprises' new product supply continues to be enriched, market prices remain relatively stable, and the industry's overall economic performance will further improve.