Gasgoo Munich-Gasgoo reported Sept. 19 that the 2026 TEDA Automotive Forum opened in Tianjin. In a keynote address, Gong Jinfeng — deputy secretary of the Party Committee and general manager of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) — said China's auto industry is accelerating toward high-quality development. Even as the global competitive landscape shifts and geopolitical rivalry deepens, the sector remains in a critical window of strategic opportunity. To fully boost the competitiveness of the entire smart connected new energy vehicle chain, the industry must persist in innovation-driven growth, cross-sector integration, quality-first principles, and open cooperation.
Image Credit: 2026 TEDA Forum
Highlighting achievements, Gong disclosed that from January to August 2026, China's new energy vehicle sales topped 10.65 million, lifting the market penetration rate to 52.4%. The country retains its status as the world's largest single NEV market, with domestic sales of NEV passenger vehicles commanding over 50% of the global share. The penetration rate of passenger cars equipped with L2-level combined driver assistance systems hit 70.5%, while the first batch of L3 conditional autonomous driving models have begun operating in designated zones. Critical core technologies are breaking through on multiple fronts: the energy density of semi-solid-state batteries has exceeded 400 Wh/kg, and all-solid-state battery R&D is gradually moving toward 500 Wh/kg. Meanwhile, the localization process for high-compute automotive-grade chips and in-vehicle operating systems is accelerating.
In the first seven months of 2026, China's automobile exports jumped 54% year-on-year to 6.41 million units. That momentum puts the full-year total on track to breach the 10 million mark.
Looking ahead, Gong outlined four recommendations. First, focus on key domains such as powertrain systems, smart chassis, and intelligent connectivity. He called for accelerating breakthroughs in bottleneck sectors like automotive-grade chips and basic industrial software to build an independent and controllable technology system.
Second, drive product quality improvements through technological innovation. This includes backing the large-scale commercial rollout of L3-level and higher autonomous driving, while promoting deeper integration between automakers and sectors like artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, and embodied intelligence.
Third, tighten corporate accountability for quality and safety. Companies must strengthen full-process production consistency controls, steering the industry away from price wars and toward quality upgrades.
Fourth, uphold openness and win-win cooperation by actively participating in global automotive governance and international standard-setting. This will enhance China's voice in the formulation of global industry rules.
