New energy vehicle production, sales soar

PRODUCTION and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China skyrocketed in the first two months of the year despite raw material price hikes and the raging COVID-19 pandemic, said an industrial report.

From January to February, about 820,000 NEVs were produced, surging 1.6 times year on year, according to the report made by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. In the period, the sales of NEVs reached about 765,000, increasing 1.5 times from the same period last year, the report said.

Industrial profits up 5% in first two months

PROFITS of China’s major industrial firms rose 5% year on year in the first two months of 2022, official data showed yesterday.

Industrial firms each with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (US$3.14 million) saw their combined profits reach 1.16 trillion yuan in the period, the National Bureau of Statistics said. In the January-February period, the revenues of those firms went up 13.9% year on year to 19.4 trillion yuan, and 21 out of 41 industries saw growth in profits.

Notable progress made in computing power

CHINA has seen notable development in its computing power, ranking second globally during the 2021-2022 period, according to an industry report.

The report, jointly compiled by Tsinghua University, International Data Corp. and Chinese IT firm Inspur, provides a comprehensive assessment of the computing power, efficiency, application and infrastructure of 15 major economies during the period. China is standing out in artificial intelligence computing, digital transformation of manufacturing and many other fields, according to the report.

Benz recalls vehicles over safety concerns

MERCEDES-BENZ (China) Ltd. and Beijing Benz Automotive Co. started recalling certain vehicle models from the Chinese market Friday over safety concerns, according to China’s market regulator.

The recall involves 4,628 C-Class vehicles that were manufactured between March 26, 2021 and Sept. 22, 2021; 38,318 imported cars manufactured between Oct. 29, 2018 and June 18, 2021 and 17,312 vehicles made between Aug. 15, 2018 and Oct. 13, 2021, according to a statement issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation. The batches of luxury vehicles recalled by the companies have different flaws, according to the statement.