Nissan's New Leaf Motor Cuts Rare Earth Usage by Over 90%

On April 21 (local time), the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) released its “Automotive Innovation Report 2026”. Chinese automaker BYD ranked first in the global automotive innovation ranking with 157 points, surpassing last year’s leader Volkswagen (143 points). Mercedes-Benz came in third with 134 points. XPeng ranked fourth with 128 points, followed by BMW and Geely Group in fifth and sixth places. Renault, Toyota, General Motors, and Hyundai also made the top ten. This marks the first time since the launch of the “Automotive Innovation Study” in 2005 that a Chinese automaker has taken the top position. According to CAM, the ranking evaluates automakers based on their performance in electrification, intelligent technologies, and overall innovation capabilities.

Hyundai Motor Group is set to begin operations at battery plants in Georgia, jointly established with LG Energy Solution and SK On, with one facility starting this month and the other later this year. Once fully ramped up, the group will secure annual EV production capacity exceeding 600,000 units in the U.S. LG Energy Solution’s plant will have an annual capacity of 30 GWh, supplying cells for models such as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 produced at HMGMA. Meanwhile, SK On’s 35 GWh capacity will be converted into battery packs by Hyundai Mobis and fully supplied to Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EVs manufactured in the U.S.