[8.29 Lithium Battery Express] Toyota's July car production and sales figures both set new historical records

[Narada Power: Won Multiple High-Voltage Lithium Battery Data Center Project Tenders This Year, with Approximately 0.8GWh of Undelivered Orders on Hand]Narada Power stated on an interactive platform that its high-voltage lithium battery products are suitable for intelligent computing centers. This year, the company has successively won multiple high-voltage lithium battery data center project tenders, including those in the US and from Global Switch overseas, with undelivered orders on hand amounting to approximately 0.8GWh. (Cailian Press)

[First Project of US-Ukraine Joint Investment Fund May Be Announced]Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Shvyrydenko announced on Wednesday that the country has initiated a public tender process for the mining rights of the lithium ore deposit in Kirovohrad Oblast. The tender for the "Dobra" lithium mine project is expected to be the first project of the US-Ukraine Joint Investment Fund. (Cailian Press)

[Stellantis Extends Short-Time Work Scheme at Turin Plant in Italy]Automaker Stellantis signed an agreement with labor unions on Thursday to extend the short-time work scheme at the historic Mirafiori plant in northern Italy for five months. The agreement allows the company to reduce labor costs amid weak demand for cars produced in Italy, consistent with agreements signed for other Italian plants this month.

[Toyota Motor Sets All-Time Highs in Both Production and Sales Volumes in July]Toyota Motor achieved record highs in both production and sales volumes in July, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth in these areas. On Thursday, Toyota Motor reported that its global sales (including subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors) increased 4% YoY to 963,796 units in July. Domestic sales in Japan declined 2%, while sales in markets outside Japan rose 6%. The Toyota and Lexus brands performed particularly strongly in North America, with sales surging 20% YoY driven by demand for trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and hybrid car models. In the Chinese market, Toyota's sales grew 5.7% YoY. (Cailian Press)

[European Commission Proposes Legislative Initiatives to Cancel Tariffs on Some US Goods]According to CCTV News, on August 28 local time, the European Commission put forward two legislative proposals, taking a key step toward implementing the EU-US joint statement on tariffs. These measures are said to aim at ensuring the tariff concessions the US implemented for the EU automotive industry starting August 1, and further promoting stability and predictability in transatlantic trade and investment relations. Under the proposals, the EU will eliminate tariffs on some US industrial products, grant preferential market access for certain seafood and non-sensitive agricultural products, and extend duty-free treatment for lobsters. Meanwhile, the US has committed to reducing tariffs on EU automobiles and parts from 27.5% to 15%, and will implement zero or near-zero tariffs on several products including softwood lumber, aircraft and parts, generic drugs, and chemical precursors starting September 1. These two proposals are necessary legislative steps to fulfill the commitments outlined in the first part of the EU-US Joint Statement. Subsequently, the European Parliament and the EU Council must approve them through the ordinary legislative procedure for the relevant tariff measures to take effect. (Cailian Press)

[CITIC Securities: L4 Autonomous Driving Shows Positive Changes in Multiple Scenarios, Automotive Intelligence Industry Chain Expected to Benefit]CITIC Securities pointed out that L4 autonomous driving is showing positive changes in multiple scenarios: 1. Robotaxi: Leading domestic companies are accelerating their expansion into more profitable overseas markets; 2. Robovan: Jiangsu and other regions are promoting provincial-level unified planning, which is expected to drive the large-scale application of Robovan; leading companies are accelerating their deployment in instant dispatch logistics scenarios, further expanding growth potential; 3. Robotruck: Autonomous driving technology is gradually breaking through from closed scenarios to open roads, with Ka'er Power initially establishing a "model case" for positive operations in trunk logistics in Ordos. Under these trends, various segments of the industry chain will accelerate technology R&D and product launches, and the automotive intelligence industry chain is expected to benefit. CITIC Securities recommends focusing on the following investment themes: 1. Fleet operations: As autonomous driving technology continues to iterate, fleet operators are expected to be the first to capture industry growth and realize performance elasticity; 2. Leading suppliers of intelligent driving components; 3. OEMs with advanced intelligent driving R&D progress. (Cailian Press)