OEM Trend
Leapmotor COO Xu Jun announced on March 30 that the brand's flagship, the Leapmotor D19, will officially launch on April 16.
The new brand "FREELANDER" jointly created by Chery Automobile and Jaguar Land Rover, is set for an official unveiling tomorrow (March 31), marking the debut of its first model. On Saturday (March 30), FREELANDER teased a collaboration with Huawei's Qiankun smart automotive solutions, with images suggesting the new vehicle will feature Huawei's 896-line dual-beam LiDAR — the highest specification in mass production globally, released earlier this month.
Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun stated on March 30 that the company's R&D and capital spending on AI this year will reach 16 billion yuan. Significant progress has already been made in base large models, embodied intelligence robots, and mobile phone and "Lobster" projects. A specialized recruitment drive for AI talent has now officially launched.
An open letter signed by unpaid employees at BeyonCa has been circulating online, revealing that the company has ceased operations, leaving hundreds of families in financial distress. According to the letter, management has gone silent without offering any formal notice or solution, ignoring inquiries regarding unpaid wages, insurance, and housing funds. The employees are demanding full back pay, unconditional settlement of social security and housing funds, reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, legal severance compensation, and a public commitment from the company and shareholders—including a written repayment plan and performance guarantee.
Changan Automobile announced on March 30 that it has secured a license to test its self-developed L4 Robotaxis in Chongqing. Teaser materials indicate the vehicles will be equipped with Changan's Tianshu intelligent solution.
Data from Tianyancha shows the recent establishment of Beijing Blue ZEEKR Auto Sales Service Co., Ltd., with Zhu Qiqian as legal representative and a registered capital of 10 million yuan. The company's business scope includes sales of new energy vehicles, wholesale of auto parts, and vehicle maintenance and repair. It is wholly owned by Zhejiang ZEEKR Auto Sales Co., Ltd.
Supply Chain News
Zhiyuan Robot celebrated the production of its 10,000th general-purpose embodied robot on March 30. The milestone includes 2,126 units from the Expedition series (A1/A2/A3), 5,008 from the Lingxi series (X1/X2), and 2,909 from the Elf series (G1/G2).
Construction has officially begun on Wuxi Leapers Semiconductor's new production base in Yangzhou. The facility, focused on third-generation automotive-grade power semiconductor modules, represents a first-phase investment of 180 million yuan. Spanning 32 mu with a floor area of approximately 31,000 square meters, the complex will house office buildings, R&D and testing centers, reliability laboratories, and packaging and production facilities.
Baolong Tech has officially commenced operations at its Topseal Thailand manufacturing park. Located in the Wincoster Industrial Park in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, the facility primarily produces automotive rubber and metal tire valves, marking another strategic step in Baolong Tech's global expansion.
Industrial Focus
Hong Kong stocks closed lower on March 30, with the Hang Seng Index dropping 0.81% and the Hang Seng Tech Index falling 1.84%. The automotive sector took a hit: GAC Group slid more than 6%, Great Wall Motor tumbled over 5%, and XPENG fell by over 4%.
Several battery makers and automakers have recently outlined progress and timelines for all-solid-state battery development. "Many people are waiting for solid-state batteries, but I don't think they need to wait—current electric vehicles are already excellent," said Ouyang Minggao, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of the China EV 100, at a recent media briefing. He estimated that while all-solid-state batteries may begin appearing in vehicles by 2027, achieving meaningful scale—capturing even 1% of the market—could take another five to ten years.
Lingdong Technology, a player in the new energy vehicle thermal management sector, announced the completion of an A+ funding round worth several hundred million yuan on March 30. Proceeds will be directed toward core technology R&D, expanding smart manufacturing lines, global market expansion, and supply chain ecosystem integration.
Linkhou Robot has officially closed a Series B financing round totaling several hundred million yuan. The investment was led by prominent institutions including SMIC IC Fund, Houwei Capital, Sequoia China, Guotai Junan Innovative Investment, and Hefei Construction Investment Capital. Existing shareholders such as Zhiyuan Robot, Boyuan Capital, Jinding Capital, and the Huayu Transformation and Upgrading Fund under CRRC Capital also increased their stakes, underscoring strong support for Linkhou Robot's long-term growth.
Policy Updates
On March 30, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice urging stricter implementation of China's Anti-Unfair Competition Law, specifically targeting "cut-throat" competition. The directive calls for comprehensive measures to curb cutthroat rivalry in key sectors including the platform economy, photovoltaics, lithium batteries, and new energy vehicles. Regulators are tasked with identifying and penalizing platform companies that unjustifiably manipulate search rankings, business evaluations, algorithms, or traffic flows, or that delist products, increase fees, delay payments, or halt transactions. The notice also cracks down on practices that force merchants to sell below cost through subsidies or promotions. In determining violations, authorities will consider factors such as the nature of the transaction, production scale, market conditions, efficiency, and product quality.
Personnel Moves
Xia Zhongpu, formerly the head of end-to-end intelligent driving technology at Li Auto, has officially joined Wujie Power as co-founder and co-CTO. He will oversee the development of native embodied intelligence multimodal large models based on world models, as well as the continued construction and upgrading of core technical infrastructure, including data closed-loops and cloud simulation.
