Toyota Motor Corporation announced plans to invest up to US$10 billion in the US over the next five years, signaling a major expansion of its domestic operations. The confirmation comes less than a month after President Donald Trump publicly mentioned the potential investment in October 2025.
China's electric vehicle (EV) sector, once a symbol of the nation's manufacturing ascendancy, is now showing signs of strain. As production far outpaces demand, the industry has entered a phase of what analysts describe as "bleeding competition", a prolonged period of margin erosion and consolidation that could reverberate across the global auto market.
Hyundai Motor is reportedly grappling with shortages of Chinese-made permanent magnets, a key component in electric and hybrid vehicle motors, as Beijing's export controls on rare earth materials begin to ripple through South Korea's auto industry.
Analysts believe Tesla is shifting from battery-buying to battery-making, as its procurement team is reportedly in active communication with South Korean suppliers of cathode materials, anode materials, and copper foil for batteries. This reflects Tesla pursuing vertical integration to boost profitability and establish a self-contained ecosystem. According to the Korea Economic Daily, Tesla has also discussed orders with a South Korean copper foil manufacturer, with supply expected to begin in 2026.
Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and Tesla Inc., is making significant strides to develop a comprehensive semiconductor manufacturing supply chain in the US. Sources indicate that the fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) plant in Texas has reached the equipment delivery phase and aims to commence volume production by late third quarter 2026.
Pegatron Corp. is accelerating its shift away from China, increasing the share of manufacturing capacity located outside the country to 30-40% in 2025 from 20-30% in 2024, the company's management revealed during its earnings call on November 12. This move reflects Pegatron's broader strategy to diversify its manufacturing footprint and reduce reliance on its core contract with Apple Inc., which still accounts for approximately 60% of its revenue.
Infineon Technologies struck a cautious tone on its automotive outlook during its 2025 earnings call, with CEO Jochen Hanebeck highlighting ongoing challenges in China's electric vehicle (EV) market and competitive pressures on power modules, even as demand for microcontrollers and Ethernet solutions continues to strengthen.
Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.) posted robust performance in the third quarter of 2025, driven by new smartphone launches, smart consumer electronics, AI servers, and cloud network devices. The company anticipates substantial sequential and year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter, maintaining expectations for solid full-year expansion and expressing optimism about 2026 results for the first time, according to chairman Young Liu.
Gogoro's operational fundamentals have improved significantly, and its success was reflected in its financial results for the third quarter of 2025. By prioritizing its focus strategy, Gogoro has laid a strong foundation to achieve profitability in its energy business by 2026, generate free cash flow by 2027, and reach profitability in its vehicle business by 2028.
Facing the European Union's looming anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese-made battery electric vehicles (BEVs), BYD is executing a three-pronged strategy—combining geopolitical positioning, product diversification, and global production realignment—to blunt the impact and maintain its rapid global expansion. The approach is already beginning to yield results, narrowing the gap with industry leader Volkswagen and signaling a new phase of competitive pressure for Europe's homegrown automakers.
As the global automotive industry accelerates its shift toward electrification, the reliance on rare earth elements for electric vehicle (EV) permanent magnet motors has become a critical challenge. China currently controls about 70% of global rare earth mining and 85% of refining capacity. With Beijing imposing stricter export controls and enacting two rounds of export restrictions in 2025, automakers worldwide are urgently seeking alternative materials and new supply sources.
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