{
  "id": 5226758,
  "title": "The 76-second car: how China rewrote the rules of car making",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/the-76-second-car-how-china-rewrote-the-rules-of-car-making-5226758",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2026/09/03/the-76-second-car-how-china-rewrote-the-rules-of-car-making"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China has revolutionized the automotive industry with its swift and efficient production methods. Honda's CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, visited a Chinese auto parts supplier and was appalled by the lack of human presence on the production floor, stating, \"We have no chance against this.\" Mibe's sentiments were echoed by the author, who had witnessed similar automation in Shenzhen. BYD, China's leading automobile manufacturer, employs a four-pronged strategy: speed is their religion, they own the entire supply chain, factories are fully automated, and subsidies drive innovation. Chinese carmakers can develop new models in as little as 18 months, compared to the traditional five-year cycle for legacy automakers. BYD makes its own batteries, motors, and semiconductors, allowing them to undercut competitors by up to 25%. With subsidies and competition driving the market, China has become the world's largest exporter of vehicles, with BYD alone selling 4.6 million vehicles in 2025, more than Ford. This strategy has extended to Malaysia, where Proton's partnership with Geely allows for the production of affordable electric vehicles.",
  "summary": "Honda's chief executive toured a supplier's factory in China this year and confessed his company had ‘no chance against this’. Here is the secret sauce behind those astonishing Chinese cars.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "The 76-second car: how China rewrote the rules of car making",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/the-76-second-car-how-china-rewrote-the-rules-of-car-making",
        "published": "2026-09-03T02:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}