GreenergyDaily

Jun. 5, 2025

Chinese officials summoned the heads of major electric vehicle makers, including BYD Co., to Beijing earlier this week to address concerns about the long-running price war, Bloomberg reported today, citing people familiar with the matter.

The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the market regulator and the top economic planning agency, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The gathering was attended by senior executives from more than a dozen manufacturers that also included Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. and Xiaomi Corp., the people said.

Officials told EV makers to “self-regulate,” and that they shouldn’t sell cars below cost or offer unreasonable price cuts. They also addressed issues such as “zero-mileage” cars and mounting bills owed to suppliers that are squeezing cash flow along the supply chain and acting as quasi-debt financing for automakers, the people said.

It’s rare for China’s market, industry, and economic regulators to jointly host a meeting with the car industry on operational matters like pricing. The move shows how much scrutiny the nation’s top leadership is paying to the sector, amid concerns the price war is becoming unsustainable and could send weaker companies into bankruptcy.

However, the gathering didn’t result in a mandatory directive and it’s not clear what consequences manufacturers would face if they don’t follow the verbal warnings, the people said.