With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China.
FAW and Leapmotor Expand Powertrain and Battery Cooperation
On September 17, China FAW and Leapmotor held a signing ceremony in Huzhou, Zhejiang. FAW subsidiaries FAW Qixin Powertrain and China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology signed separate agreements with Leapmotor.
The agreements follow a broader strategic cooperation agreement signed on August 24.
Under a letter of investment intent, Leapmotor plans to participate as a strategic investor in FAW Qixin Powertrain's Series A financing. The companies will explore cooperation on hybrid engines, electric drive systems and range extenders.
China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology and Leapmotor agreed to work on battery research and standardized cells, including solid-state, sodium-ion and ultra-fast-charging lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Geely EX5 EM-i Begins Local Production in Brazil
On September 15, 2026, Geely Auto Group and Renault Group announced that the first locally manufactured Geely EX5 EM-i had rolled off the production line at the Ayrton Senna Industrial Complex in Brazil.
Deliveries of the locally produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle model are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Production of the all-electric Geely EX2 is scheduled to start in December this year.
The two companies launched their Brazil partnership in November 2025 to bring new energy vehicle platforms and models into local production and improve use of the plant's capacity.
Hello Robotaxi Raises Approximately $100 Million
Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology, which operates Hello Robotaxi, recently completed a funding round of approximately $100 million. Its valuation after the round was close to $3 billion.
The funding will primarily support a computing platform designed for a 10,000-GPU cluster, further development of end-to-end AI models, and a data supply chain for model training.
Hello Robotaxi said its first production Level 4 vehicle, the HR1 (Hello Robot 1), rolled off the line in July 2026, with production already exceeding 100 vehicles.
Besides, Hello Robotaxi has obtained testing permits in Guangzhou and Changzhou and is pursuing expansion into Hong Kong and other cities.
