CATL chairman Robin Zeng has warned that the relentless pace of new-car development in China is putting product quality under pressure, saying some traction-battery products have already suffered batch-level failures.
Speaking at the 2026 World Power Battery Conference in Yibin, Sichuan on Sept 3, Zeng said more than 600 new vehicles had been launched in China so far this year, equivalent to nearly three a day.
He said manufacturers were competing on development speed, specifications and price while development cycles became progressively shorter.
Zeng said this was coming at the expense of product quality and consumer trust, although he did not identify the battery manufacturers, vehicle brands or models involved in the failures he mentioned.
The warning comes as China’s new-energy vehicle industry continues to expand rapidly. Zeng said more than 7.4 million new-energy vehicles were sold in China during the first half of 2026, approaching half of overall vehicle sales.
Global traction-battery installations exceeded 608GWh over the same period, according to figures cited by Zeng. Seven of the world’s 10 largest suppliers were Chinese companies and together accounted for more than 70% of the market.
Zeng argued that battery production at such scale leaves little tolerance for inconsistent cells. CATL, he said, targets a cell failure rate of no more than one in a billion.
He also cited a CATL battery pack displayed at the Beijing motor show that retained 88% of its capacity after six years and 840,000km of use.
Zeng said battery quality should ultimately be measured through safety, reliability and longevity, adding that potential problems had to be addressed during product design and manufacturing rather than relying on final inspection.
