** U.S.-listed shares of Chinese electric-vehicle makers Li
Auto Inc LI.O , Nio Inc NIO.N and Xpeng Inc XPEV.N rise
between 6% and 11%
** Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), including
battery-powered electric vehicles, plug-in petrol-electric
hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, increased 585% in
February to 110,000 units, compared with the same month a year
earlier, according to data from data from the China Association
of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2L90B7
** EV makers stand to benefit from expanding manufacturing
capacities as the People's Republic of China looks to greener
vehicles to combat air pollution
** CAAM expects vehicle sales to rise by about 4% in 2021,
but has warned that a shortage of certain auto chips may start
to hit production at some Chinese firms at the beginning of the
year
** Separately, Mizuho Securities initiates coverage on
electric car-maker Tesla Inc TSLA.O with "buy", saying the
co's business model is unlike any other
** TSLA is up 2.5% at $684.5
(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru)
((eva.mathews@thomsonreuters.com))