Automaker Trends | OEM News
IT Home: On April 9, NIO founder, chairman, and CEO William Li wrote about original design. He believes that as the creator of a new category of intelligent electric executive flagship SUVs, the NIO ES9 requires pioneering technology. Li stated that no pioneer in any field wishes to live in another's shadow. He also mentioned that with the ES9, NIO attempts to blend the essence of Chinese culture and aesthetics into the cabin experience and design, hoping to reflect the vision and breadth of a leader in the new era: "embracing the world with boundless grandeur." This kind of original exploration isn't easy, but it must be done.
IT Home: On April 9, the Renault Group announced it is consolidating all its charging businesses and related services under a new brand, Plug Inn, marking a new chapter in its electrification journey. According to the official introduction, through "Plug Inn," the group aims to build a more unified, clear, and competitive charging ecosystem to fully support the mass adoption of electric mobility in the European market. The rebranding will begin in April this year with fast-charging stations in France, with full coverage planned by the end of the year.
Gasgoo: Recently, Denza, the high-end new energy vehicle brand under the BYD Group, held its European launch event at the Palais Garnier in Paris. The flagship models, the Denza Z9GT and Denza D9, were officially unveiled to the European public, marking a significant step in Denza's globalization strategy.
IT Home: The BMW Group recently unveiled its lineup for Auto China 2026 in Beijing, bringing 16 new models across the BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad brands, including four global premieres and eight China debuts. According to reports, the Neue Klasse BMW iX3 and the long-wheelbase Neue Klasse BMW i3 made their global debuts, featuring deep integration of Chinese intelligent AI. The all-scenario pilot driving assistance system will make its debut on the locally produced Neue Klasse BMW iX3.
IT Home: Reports say about 60 Tesla Cybercabs have appeared outside the production area of the Texas Gigafactory, suggesting that this autonomous ride-hailing model has officially kicked off mass production. Outside observers speculate it could soon join Tesla's product lineup. Notably, these actual vehicles are all equipped with steering wheels, despite Tesla previously claiming the model would eliminate them.
Parts Suppliers | Supply Chain News
Gasgoo: Recently, RoboSense released its latest sales data. In the first quarter of 2026, total sales of the company's LiDAR products reached 330,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 204.1%. Among them, the robotics business continued its explosive growth, with sales reaching 185,500 units—a surge of 1,458.8% year-on-year. This segment accounted for 56.2% of sales, surpassing the automotive LiDAR business for the first time to become the company's primary growth engine.
Gasgoo: Recently, Qingtao (Kunshan) Energy Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Qingtao Energy) officially submitted an IPO application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, aiming to become the "first solid-state battery stock" in Hong Kong. Public records show Qingtao Energy was established in June 2016. Its core business involves the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of solid-liquid hybrid batteries and all-solid-state batteries, applied in electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
Gasgoo: Recently, Zhuoyu Technology and Lisheng Technology signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The two parties will promote integrated collaboration ranging from chip adaptation and system integration to manufacturing and delivery, focusing on the core technology and mass production of intelligent driving assistance systems.
Industrial Focus | Industrial Economy
Jiemian News: On April 9, Hong Kong stocks closed with the Hang Seng Index down 0.54% and the Hang Seng Tech Index down 2.06%. New energy vehicle stocks retreated, with XPENG falling over 5%, BYD down more than 4%, and Seres dropping nearly 3%.
Cailian Press: On April 9, the CPCA Passenger Car Branch stated that from January to February 2026, the automotive industry generated revenue of 1.48 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 0.9%. Costs stood at 1.31 trillion yuan, up 0.2%. Profits hit 43.5 billion yuan, a 30% decline from the previous year. The industry's profit margin was 2.9%, remaining below the 5.8% average of downstream industrial sectors.
Cailian Press: On April 9, the CPCA released data showing passenger vehicle exports (including complete vehicles and CKD kits) reached 695,000 units in March, a 74.3% year-on-year increase and a 25.2% rise from February. New energy vehicles accounted for 50.2% of total exports, an increase of 14 percentage points from the same period last year. Specifically, new energy passenger vehicle exports totaled 349,000 units, surging 139.9% YoY and 29.6% MoM. This represents 50.2% of passenger vehicle exports, growing by 13.7 percentage points compared to last year.
Cailian Press: On April 9, according to data from the General Administration of Customs compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the cumulative value of automotive products exported to countries along the "Belt and Road" reached $26.33 billion in the first two months of 2026, a 44.7% year-on-year increase, accounting for 59.0% of total auto product exports. This included the export of 1.03 million complete vehicles, up 47.0%, and 334,000 new energy vehicles, up 36.6%.
Gasgoo: Zerith Robotics has recently completed a new round of financing exceeding 100 million yuan. This round was led by Runze Group, the first AIDC stock to go public, with participation from Ningbo Dongli, Chuangye Jieli, and Pinghu Zexin. Notably, Runze Group's intelligent computing support provides Zerith with a critical foundation to directly and efficiently convert massive computing power into physical productivity.
Gasgoo: Kepler Robotics has officially completed a nine-figure Series A++ round. The round was led by SAIF Partners, with strategic investments from Nuoli Intelligent Equipment and Shenzhen Minbao Optoelectronics.
Policy Updates | Policy Situation
Caijing News: Recently, the full text of the "Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of Beijing" was released. It proposes promoting the agglomeration of key industries, with the intelligent connected vehicle industry focusing on the construction of "dual bases" for complete vehicle manufacturing in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area and Shunyi District. The plan emphasizes strengthening and supplementing key industrial chains. Led by complete vehicle manufacturers, it aims to comprehensively enhance the regional supporting capacity of the ICV industry and improve the coordination between vehicle and parts manufacturers. It also seeks to perfect the entire hydrogen energy industry chain, coordinate the construction of infrastructure and application scenarios, promote the cross-regional large-scale application of liquid hydrogen heavy trucks in phases, and accelerate hydrogen energy demonstration applications.
