The North American battery joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and SK On has been officially named HSBMA (Hyundai SK Battery Manufacturing America). Since announcing the joint venture in April 2023, the project has reached over 90% completion and is scheduled to begin commercial operations this year. The plant, located in Bartow County, Georgia, will have an annual production capacity of 35GWh, equivalent to batteries for approximately 300,000 electric vehicles. The two companies have jointly invested a total of $5 billion, each holding a 50% stake in the venture.

Silver has seen one of the sharpest pullbacks in recent years within just a few weeks. From the high of US$97.30 on March 2, the price fell to US$61.21 by March 23, losing around 37%. For the market, this was an abrupt break from the previous momentum.

Russia’s MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC is betting on artificial intelligence as part of a $100 million push to find additional uses for palladium as electric vehicles erode the metal’s main source of demand.Nornickel, the world’s biggest palladium producer, aims to create 1.7 million ounces of new annual consumption for the metal. That’s equivalent to almost a fifth of existing demand.

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will pre-announce amendments to the Enforcement Decree and related regulations of the Automobile Management Act to enhance safety management of batteries used in electric vehicles. The revisions include expanded information disclosure and stricter criteria for certification revocation. Under the new rules, consumers will be able to access more detailed information when purchasing EVs, including the battery’s country of origin, manufacturer, and production date.

SMM News: As of March 20, 2026, the market price for Praseodymium-Neodymium (Pr-Nd) metal in China stabilized temporarily at 890,000–910,000 RMB/ton. This article utilizes the SMM Pr-Nd Terminal Demand Calculation Model to dissect the demand logic for 2026 across three core sectors—New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, and Wind Power—explaining the current supply-demand dilemma facing the NdFeB magnet and broader Pr-Nd markets.

In 2026, the correction in lithium carbonate prices drove up lithium battery production costs. Coupled with uncertainties in lithium resources supply, cost pressure across the new energy industry became increasingly prominent. Leveraging the advantages of abundant sodium resources, balanced distribution, and controllable costs, sodium-ion batteries have leapt from being a “backup option” for lithium batteries to a key direction for industry breakthrough...

On March 12, Honda Motor released its latest flash report for the fiscal year 2025, projecting an operating loss of 270 billion yen to 570 billion yen for the fiscal year ending April 2025 to March 2026, equivalent to approximately 11.68 billion yuan to 24.67 billion yuan. It projects a net loss of 420 billion yen to 690 billion yen, equivalent to approximately 18.17 billion yuan to 29.86 billion yuan. It is understood that this marks Honda Motor's first annual loss since its listing. Furthermore, on the same day as announcing the results, Honda also announced a significant decision to cancel certain research, development, and launch plans for US-manufactured electric vehicles.

Vietnamese EV maker VinFast announced it has signed agreements with two Indonesian transportation companies to supply 20,000 pure electric vehicles over the next three years. Indonesia was VinFast's largest overseas market last year, primarily driven by the imported VF 3 and VF 5 models.

Precious metals are having a moment. Gold and silver surged to record highs in January, benefiting from an alignment of macroeconomic factors, evolving supply-demand dynamics, and renewed industrial demand.

During the 2026 Two Sessions, Lei Jun, National People's Congress representative and founder of Xiaomi Group, put forward five main proposals. These include the "Proposal on Accelerating the Application of General-Purpose Humanoid Robots in Intelligent Manufacturing." It encourages factories to provide more production positions and create large-scale operational scenarios for humanoid robots. It supports the application and implementation of general-purpose humanoid robots in specific production lines such as handling and assembly, parts installation, flexible component assembly, welding, and painting, undertaking medium to high-intensity labor.