Gasgoo Daily presents a selection of the latest developments from China's automotive industry. Here are the key stories in this edition.
Audi Advances Its Dual-Brand, Dual-Partner Strategy in China
Audi has signed strategic agreements with its two Chinese partners, FAW Group and SAIC Motor, to advance its "dual-brand, dual-partner" strategy and clarify the corresponding sales and distribution structure.
The strategy differentiates the traditional four-ring Audi brand from the AUDI brand, which uses the Audi name in letters, with distinct positioning, product portfolios and customer experiences.
With FAW, Audi will strengthen its balanced luxury lineup, covering both new-energy vehicles and next-generation intelligent combustion-engine models, including the Audi A6L e-tron, Q6L e-tron, A5L and A6L.
With SAIC, Audi will further develop the AUDI brand for China's premium smart connected NEV market. Following the launch of the Audi E5 Sportback in 2025, its first SUV, the Audi E7X, launched in May 2026.
The partners will deepen collaboration across the entire value chain, supported by the opening of the dedicated AUDI Innovation and Technology Center in Shanghai.
XPENG Receives Approval for L4 Robotaxi Demonstration Operations in Guangzhou
XPENG Group has received approval to conduct Level 4 (L4) Robotaxi demonstration operations across Guangzhou, marking a step toward real-world autonomous mobility services.
Guangzhou is both a major base for XPENG's Robotaxi R&D and mass production and its first city for exploring global Robotaxi commercialization.
XPENG's XPENG Youyou Robotaxi, based on the XPENG GX, is described in the source as China's first mass-produced Robotaxi developed with a fully self-developed technology stack.
The vehicle features four in-house Turing AI chips, delivering 3,000 TOPS of computing power, and XPENG's second-generation VLA large model.
XPENG aims to extend its accumulated intelligent-vehicle technologies, AI chips and infrastructure into L4 autonomous driving, while continuing to explore overseas partnerships.
Pony.ai Partners with inDrive and NVIDIA to Pilot Robotaxis in Kazakhstan
On October 23, 2026, Pony.ai announced a memorandum of understanding with global mobility and delivery platform inDrive and NVIDIA to advance autonomous mobility products and applications.
Kazakhstan will be the partnership's first pilot market, marking Pony.ai's first expansion into Central Asia.
The partnership assigns distinct roles:
Pony.ai: Supplies its seventh-generation Robotaxi vehicles and autonomous-driving technology.
inDrive: Manages the mobility platform, operations and services.
NVIDIA: Provides AI infrastructure through its NVIDIA Hyperion autonomous-driving computing platform and Halos safety system.
Following an agreement with the Kazakh government, Pony.ai and inDrive plan to launch the initial Robotaxi service pilot in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital. The parties will assess the feasibility of offering L4 autonomous mobility services through the inDrive platform.
Pony.ai's seventh-generation Robotaxi incorporates system-level redundancy and fail-safe operating capabilities, and its technology has already been validated through commercial autonomous-driving operations in multiple Chinese cities.
The partners will also explore deployments in other Kazakh cities and additional countries. inDrive's mobility and delivery services cover more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries.
