【4.14 Lithium Battery News】March Vehicle and Power Battery Data Released | Xiaomi Responds to Zhanjiang Accident

CPCA's Dongshu Cui: National Auto Market in March Shows Divergence, with Passenger Vehicles Outperforming Commercial VehiclesCPCA Secretary General Dongshu Cui stated that the national auto market in March showed divergence, with passenger vehicles outperforming commercial vehicles. The implementation of a new round of subsidy policies at the end of January 2025 led to retail sales of passenger vehicles in February and March exceeding previous expectations. Before the release of the "Two New" policies, market sentiment was low, with many consumers in a wait-and-see mode in January. However, market sentiment grew rapidly in February and March, with consumer demand for passenger vehicles remaining strong before the Chinese New Year, while the commercial vehicle market showed structural growth characteristics. Last year, commercial vehicle channel inventory was high, and in March this year, the commercial vehicle market diverged, with strong growth in the new energy categories of light trucks, micro buses, and medium and large buses.

China's Power and Other Battery Production in March Reached 118.3 GWh, Up 18.0% MoMAccording to data from the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, China's power and other battery production in March 2025 reached 118.3 GWh, up 18.0% MoM and 54.3% YoY. From January to March, China's cumulative power and other battery production was 326.3 GWh, up 74.9% YoY. In March, China's power and other battery sales were 115.4 GWh, up 28.3% MoM and 64.9% YoY. Among them, power battery sales were 87.5 GWh, accounting for 75.8% of total sales, up 30.7% MoM and 46.9% YoY; other battery sales were 28.0 GWh, accounting for 24.2% of total sales, up 21.0% MoM and 166.8% YoY.

GM Suspends Production at a Canadian PlantThe Canadian auto workers' union Unifor confirmed on April 12 that GM will suspend production at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Layoffs will begin on April 14, and partial production will resume in May. After that, production at the plant will be temporarily halted, and operations will be suspended until October 2025. During this period, GM plans to complete equipment upgrades in preparation for the production of the 2026 commercial EV. GM stated that when production resumes in October, the plant will operate on a single shift for the foreseeable future, which will also result in 500 workers being laid off indefinitely.

Hunan Yuneng: Rumors of Order Cuts by CATL and BYD Are UnfoundedAn investor asked whether rumors of order cuts by major shareholders CATL and BYD were true. Hunan Yuneng responded on the interactive platform that the company, relying on its core technology and independent innovation capabilities, has established industry-leading production processes for phosphate cathode materials and iron phosphate precursors. With the continuous iteration of new energy battery technology and the improvement of power battery performance, new application scenarios are emerging, and the demand potential for power batteries driven by intelligent applications is expected to be released, thereby driving the demand for phosphate cathode materials in emerging application scenarios. The company will closely monitor industry developments and plans to enhance operational efficiency by introducing artificial intelligence and strengthening digital management to empower its main business development. The rumors of order cuts by CATL and BYD are unfounded.

Xiaomi Auto Responds to Zhanjiang Accident: Fire Caused by Severe Squeezing and Deformation of Electric Bicycle's Lithium Battery After Collision, Which Then Ignited the Accident VehicleXiaomi Auto announced that on the early morning of April 5, 2025, a Xiaomi SU7 standard version collided with an electric bicycle on Provincial Highway 376 in Qujie Town, Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City, while the driver (not the owner) was manually driving. After the accident, the driver fled the scene. According to the latest police report, the driver has been arrested. The on-site investigation has been completed, and the final conclusion will be based on the relevant department's report. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire was caused by the severe squeezing and deformation of the electric bicycle's lithium battery after the collision, which then ignited the accident vehicle.

Ganfeng Lithium: Signs Letter of Intent with LAR for Salt Lake DevelopmentGanfeng Lithium announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Lithium Argentina AG to jointly develop the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes salt lake basin in Argentina. The salt lake basin consists of three lithium salt lake projects: the PPG lithium salt lake project wholly owned by Ganfeng Lithium, the PG lithium salt lake project jointly held by both parties (Ganfeng Lithium holds 14.89%, LAR holds 85.11%), and the SDLP lithium salt lake project (Ganfeng Lithium holds 35%, LAR holds 65%). The two parties plan to integrate the three projects into a new project, the "PPGS lithium salt lake project," and formulate a phased development plan. The production process of the PPGS lithium salt lake project will partially adopt direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, with a long-term planned annual capacity of 150,000 mt LCE. The products will include lithium chloride or lithium carbonate.