At the “Hotai Motor and Kuozui Motors 2025 Lunar New Year Press Conference” on February 4, 2025, General Manager Chwen-Shing Su expressed optimism for Taiwan’s auto market. With the recovery in the local car market, total vehicle sales reached 458,000 units in 2024, as most 2023 order cancellations were resolved. The three brands under Hotai Motor’s dealership – Toyota, Lexus, and Hino – registered over 159,000 vehicles in total, marking their second-highest sales record with a market share of 34.9%. The company maintained its position as Taiwan’s top car seller for the 23rd consecutive year, with revenues surpassing NT$270 billion (US$8.2 billion), setting a new record.

On February 4, 2025, Chinese regulators revived their antitrust investigation into Google, following a similar probe into Nvidia announced in December 2024. The move came after Washington imposed tighter restrictions on Nvidia’s advanced chips, limiting Beijing’s access to critical AI hardware. The regulators had previously signaled concerns over Nvidia’s market dominance in the country’s semiconductor sector.

Tesla’s fourth quarter of 2024 earnings fell short of expectations, but CEO Elon Musk remains bullish on three key initiatives: budget EVs, commercial robotaxis, and humanoid robots. Industry analysts express concern, warning that execution challenges could undermine Tesla’s momentum in 2025.

The EU convened a non-official defense summit on February 3, 2025, focusing on strengthening Europe’s military capabilities against Russia and other threats. Given the pressing need for autonomous defense systems, the EU plans to invest EUR500 billion (US$516.33 billion) over the next decade to bolster its military industry. Following the prominent role of drones in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, market observers anticipate substantial growth in Europe’s drone market as conventional warfare becomes increasingly technology-driven, with small unmanned aircraft emerging as a crucial segment.