CATL Opens Direct Cell Sales While Buyback and Egypt Plant Signal a Broader Reset
Published on 09/19/2026 at 14:41 | Editorial boerse-global.de
CATL is tearing a page from the playbook of industrial e-commerce, launching direct online sales of lithium iron phosphate cells to business buyers through its CATL Mall platform. The world's largest battery maker began offering 587-Ah cells on Tuesday at 435 RMB per kilowatt-hour, with a minimum order of 324 units — a move that bypasses the distributors and middlemen that smaller manufacturers have traditionally relied on.
The direct channel is the most visible sign of a company repositioning itself as energy storage and traction battery demand shifts. By selling standardized cells online, CATL can reach industrial customers and smaller producers without building a conventional dealer network.
A Truck Platform, an Egyptian Factory, and a Buyback
Product news has arrived in parallel. At IAA Transportation in Hanover on Monday, CATL unveiled TECTRANS II, a commercial-vehicle battery platform promising heavy trucks up to 1,000 kilometers of range. Megawatt charging support allows the pack to reach 80 percent capacity in 25 minutes.
Geographic expansion is moving just as quickly. On September 13, CATL signed a cooperation agreement with Egypt's BME Battery Manufacturing to build a battery plant in the country. The first phase targets one gigawatt-hour of annual capacity, backed by an initial investment of more than two billion EGP.
Closer to home, the company has moved to steady its own stock. On September 11, CATL bought back 604,293 A-shares on the Shenzhen exchange through a central auction process, spending a total of 199,978,827.46 yuan — its first such repurchase.
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Management is also deepening ties with established automakers. On Tuesday, China's market regulator SAMR confirmed approval for CATL's stake in Chongqing Yaoning New Energy Technology, a Geely-backed company currently building a battery factory. Neither side disclosed the size of the holding. The investment is designed to lock in supply relationships with major customers at an institutional level.
Headwinds Pile Up on Several Fronts
Yet the operating backdrop remains difficult. Market participants fear production cuts in September, according to Bloomberg reports, while worries about a possible decline in net profit per unit in the third quarter have weighed on sentiment. Automakers' growing push to diversify supply chains and build in-house capacity adds to the unease.
Regulation is compounding the pressure. Since September 1, China has levied a 2 percent consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries, set to rise to 4 percent from September 2027. The levy potentially hits traditional suppliers hardest: automakers that manufacture their own cells and install them directly in vehicles can avoid or offset the tax. That dynamic strengthens the incentive for carmakers to bring cell production in-house or add more suppliers.
CATL still led China's traction battery market in August 2026 with a 41.45 percent share, but it lost ground as rival BYD climbed to 20.98 percent. Xiaomi has added further partners to its supplier roster, and Li Auto has announced a gradual switch to batteries of its own development.
Two other developments have added to the sector's drag: a consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries introduced roughly three weeks ago, and the revocation of the environmental permit for the Jianxiawo mine about two weeks ago.
Washington Turns Up the Heat
US politics has become an additional burden. As Reuters reported, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy voiced deep concern on September 9 about Ford Motor's cooperation with CATL, specifically targeting the use of CATL-licensed technology at Ford's battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. US lawmakers have also urged Ford's management to end its business relationships with CATL and other Chinese partners.
The regulatory tensions are clearly visible in the share price. Friday's close stood at 301.95 CNY, leaving the stock down 22 percent over 30 days and just 1.0 percent above its 52-week low of 299.00 CNY, set on September 16.
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