By AFP
April 14, 2026
Electric vehicle maker BYD hit a record high after news of a battery it says can charge in just five minutes - Copyright AFP BAY ISMOYO
Tran Thi Minh Ha, Julien Girault in Tokyo and AFP teams in Bangkok, Manilla and Jakarta
Electric vehicle sales have jumped in Southeast Asia as cost-conscious buyers have poured into dealerships looking to dodge the fuel price spikes driven by the Middle East war.
Asian nations have been particularly hard hit due to a sharp fall in the crude shipments they rely on — and have few alternatives to replace them.
Yet the energy crisis has been a windfall for Vietnam’s leading electric vehicle maker Vinfast as well as Chinese manufacturers.
Vietnamese office worker Do Thi Lan explained the simple math of the cars’ appeal at a Vinfast showroom in Hanoi.
“We have to calculate our monthly expenses, as the money we spend on petroleum has been on the rise,” she said.
She said her family owns a car that runs on petrol but was considering buying an electric vehicle to save money.
Dao Thi Hue, also at the showroom, was looking to go electric too.
“Driving an EV is so much better than driving a petroleum vehicle, in terms of costs and also in terms of saving fuel, queuing to fill up,” the school teacher said.
Crude oil prices have soared by around 50 percent since the start of the Middle East war and again exceeded $100 per barrel on Monday, driving up the cost at the pump.
Vinfast, listed on the Nasdaq, saw a 127 percent surge in annual sales in Vietnam in March, reaching 27,600 cars.
About 40 percent of cars sold in Vietnam in 2025 were electric, but the trend has been accelerating.
“At this point in time, clients consider fuel costs a lot when making a decision on which cars to buy,” said Pham Minh Hai, deputy head of sales at a Vinfast showroom.
“In March we sold 300-400 cars,” he said, noting that the showroom normally sells between 200 and 250 cars a month.
Hai said more than 50 percent of his clients changed from petroleum to electric cars last month, while the number of customers at the showroom was up by around 30 percent.
He added that opening hours had been extended to deal with the rush.
Outside Vietnam, Chinese manufacturers specialising in electric vehicles, particularly Tesla’s main rival BYD, are booming.
– ‘Punished by gas prices’ –
At the Bangkok Auto Show earlier this month, BYD secured the most orders of any manufacturer, surpassing Japan’s Toyota for the first time.
“I drive a lot, nearly 100 kilometres (60 miles) a day… with the current fuel situation and no idea how long it will last, it’s become a major factor pushing me to make the switch,” said Pleng Nawintham, a 36-year-old pharmacist from Thailand.
BYD was also seeing increased sales in the Philippines.
Mae Anne Clarisse Bacquiano, manager of a BYD showroom in the suburbs of Manila, said foot traffic at the dealership was “at another level”.
“It was all because of the rise in fuel prices,” she said. “Earlier today, I had a customer, a doctor who was ranting to me about how he is being punished by gas prices… He was in a hurry to go full electric. There’d be a huge difference in expenses.”
She added that all of her stock for the month had already been reserved by buyers.
“I don’t expect the gas (prices) to go back down over the next couple of months,” said Arlone Abello, an entrepreneur who was browsing BYD models at the showroom.
As BYD sales decline in China due to fierce local competition, the manufacturer hopes to gain international momentum.
The company told analysts that it now expects to exceed 1.5 million exported vehicles in 2026, well above the 1.3 million target announced in January.
– Structural change –
Exports of Chinese electric vehicles — for which Southeast Asia is a major market — doubled in March, compared to the same month last year across all manufacturers, according to the industry association CPCA.
Economic factors are at the forefront of the increased demand for greener vehicles.
“You have the individual consumer response to what they are seeing in terms of the price of petrol or diesel suddenly surge,” said Euan Graham, an electricity and data analyst at energy think tank Ember.
The installation of charging stations in the region is also growing rapidly.
Jakarta promised last week to take “more serious steps to accelerate the development of a national electric vehicle ecosystem” to combat its “high level of energy consumption”.
Electric vehicles are gaining momentum beyond Southeast Asia.
“There are signs that global demand has already picked up substantially,” Capital Economics said, adding that registrations of electric vehicles in Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand more than doubled in March, and rose by over 50 percent in India, Australia.
burs-tmh-jug/lkd/jm
Rolls-Royce unveils ultra-luxury limited series electric car
By AFP
April 14, 2026
Rolls-Royce has unveiled its new luxury electric vehicle, limited to just a 100 cars at the company's Goodwood plant in Chichester, south of London - Copyright AFP CARLOS JASSO
Far from the downturn that has shaken many luxury houses in recent years, Britain’s Rolls-Royce on Tuesday launched an ultra-luxury, limited-series electric car.
The imposing bonnet, crowned by the marque’s iconic Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, remains, but the new convertible series marks a further step into fully electric luxury motoring.
Limited to just 100 clients, the collection will be available by invitation only.
The company intends to offer an opportunity “to be part of that journey, to be able to meet our designers, meet our craftspeople” and personalise every detail, Julian Jenkins, Rolls-Royce director of sales and brand told AFP.
“Our clients have over 44,000 colours to choose from of our current palette.”
While the company, owned by BMW since 1998, has not disclosed the price of the vehicles, it placed them between its most complex private commissions and other bespoke creations, which can reach several million pounds.
The carmaker recorded a slight decline in sales last year, with a total of 5,664 vehicles sold — a six percent drop from its record 2023 performance.
The dip remains modest compared with the turbulence faced by other luxury brands, such as fellow British brand Burberry.
In fact, 2025 was the company’s “fourth best year”, Jenkins said.
“We’ve seen an increasing strength, particularly in our bespoke operation with our clients really wanting to commission something very special, something unique.”
The company already knows who will be the 100 clients, and they will receive their cars from 2028.
They are mainly based in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and the Middle East, but not in China, where the car “is not homologated” due to “the efficiency regulations for electric vehicles”, he said.
The pastel blue prototype, named Project Nightingale, is a convertible two-seater with a sleek, streamlined silhouette.
The model is inspired by the brand’s experimental high-speed ‘EX’ models of the 1920s. Its range has not been revealed.
It is Rolls-Royce’s second electric model, following the launch of the Spectre three years ago.
By AFP
April 14, 2026
Rolls-Royce has unveiled its new luxury electric vehicle, limited to just a 100 cars at the company's Goodwood plant in Chichester, south of London - Copyright AFP CARLOS JASSO
Far from the downturn that has shaken many luxury houses in recent years, Britain’s Rolls-Royce on Tuesday launched an ultra-luxury, limited-series electric car.
The imposing bonnet, crowned by the marque’s iconic Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, remains, but the new convertible series marks a further step into fully electric luxury motoring.
Limited to just 100 clients, the collection will be available by invitation only.
The company intends to offer an opportunity “to be part of that journey, to be able to meet our designers, meet our craftspeople” and personalise every detail, Julian Jenkins, Rolls-Royce director of sales and brand told AFP.
“Our clients have over 44,000 colours to choose from of our current palette.”
While the company, owned by BMW since 1998, has not disclosed the price of the vehicles, it placed them between its most complex private commissions and other bespoke creations, which can reach several million pounds.
The carmaker recorded a slight decline in sales last year, with a total of 5,664 vehicles sold — a six percent drop from its record 2023 performance.
The dip remains modest compared with the turbulence faced by other luxury brands, such as fellow British brand Burberry.
In fact, 2025 was the company’s “fourth best year”, Jenkins said.
“We’ve seen an increasing strength, particularly in our bespoke operation with our clients really wanting to commission something very special, something unique.”
The company already knows who will be the 100 clients, and they will receive their cars from 2028.
They are mainly based in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and the Middle East, but not in China, where the car “is not homologated” due to “the efficiency regulations for electric vehicles”, he said.
The pastel blue prototype, named Project Nightingale, is a convertible two-seater with a sleek, streamlined silhouette.
The model is inspired by the brand’s experimental high-speed ‘EX’ models of the 1920s. Its range has not been revealed.
It is Rolls-Royce’s second electric model, following the launch of the Spectre three years ago.
