Automaker News | OEM Trend
Jiemian News: On January 8, XPENG unveiled four new models — the refreshed XPENG G6 battery-electric, refreshed XPENG G9 battery-electric, XPENG G7 range-extended version, and the XPENG P7+ in battery-electric and range-extended variants. At the launch, CEO He Xiaopeng said all four will run on XPENG's second-generation VLA (vision-language-action) large model, which he described as the industry's first physical-world foundation model to reach entry-level L4 capabilities. This year (2026), XPENG will bring physical AI to market at scale, begin operating a robotaxi (driverless taxi) service, and move into scaled mass production of humanoid robots and flying cars.
Gasgoo Auto: On January 8, HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility’s Shangjie Auto officially announced a new model — the Shangjie Z7, with the tagline "More than next-gen, more to expect." Based on official images, the car is expected to be the coupe teased earlier, featuring roof-mounted lidar, a small blue light signature, and semi-flush door handles.
Gasgoo Auto: On January 8, Faraday Future (FF) rolled out a new product line of embodied-intelligence robots under its upgraded global EAI Industry Bridge strategy. FF said it will host the FF AI Robotics U.S. launch in Las Vegas during the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention on February 4, unveiling the first embodied-intelligence products, opening public demos, and starting sales.
Fast Technology: Xiaomi founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun addressed live-streamed questions about whether the company's 2026 full-year delivery target is "too conservative." He stressed that a 550,000‑unit goal is not conservative for a brand that's been in autos for less than two years — it's highly challenging. Lei said Xiaomi's auto project has been underway for under two years in practice, and the team is still catching up: strengthening the supply chain, boosting manufacturing, and optimizing the user service network.
CLS: GAC Group released its December 2025 production and sales bulletin. Full-year terminal sales reached 1.8135 million, with fourth-quarter sales above 537,800 — up 25.56% quarter on quarter and marking three straight quarters of sequential growth. In addition, self-owned brands' overseas sales were nearly 130,000 units, a 47% year-on-year increase.
Gasgoo Auto: Hangzhou's Economic and Information Technology Bureau said ZEEKR's 9X, equipped with Geely's Qianli Haohan H9 solution, has passed a joint review by the city's EIT bureau, public security bureau and transport bureau, securing a citywide L3 autonomous-driving road-test license. The permit spans all 9,224 square kilometers of Hangzhou and includes over 1,500 km of dual-carriage expressways — currently the largest coverage area and longest mileage for an L3 test license nationwide.
CLS: Corporate registry data from Tianyancha show that Jinhua Lingda Auto Parts Co., Ltd. was recently established, with Cao Li as legal representative and registered capital of CNY 25 million. Its business scope includes auto parts manufacturing and R&D, retail of auto components, electronic components and electromechanical equipment manufacturing and sales, data processing and storage support services, and solar power technology services. Shareholder filings indicate the company is wholly owned by LEAPMOTOR Automobile Co., Ltd.
Component Suppliers | Supply Chain News
Gasgoo Auto: On January 8, Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory marked the 5 millionth electric drive system rolling off the line. Tesla said its self-developed three-in-one integrated e-drive — comprising the motor, gearbox and inverter — delivers higher energy-conversion efficiency in a more compact, lighter package.
Gasgoo Auto: On January 8, Youjia Innovation announced that cornerstone investor Horizon Together Holding Ltd., reflecting long-term confidence in the company, has recently purchased a total of 688,200 H-shares in the open market, and Horizon Together Holding Ltd. is wholly owned by Horizon Robotics.
Gasgoo Auto: On January 8, RoboSense published its latest delivery data, with digital lidar products topping 180,000 units in December — a new industry record for monthly deliveries. The growth mainly stems from breakthroughs in fully self-developed chip technologies and ongoing expansion across application scenarios.
Industry Focus | Industrial Economy
CLS: On January 8, Cui Dongshu wrote that promotion pressure is lighter for conventional ICEs and hybrids in 2025, while discounting for new-energy vehicles remains intense. PHEV promotions fluctuated widely this year: December ran 3.9 percentage points higher year on year but 0.4 points lower month on month; range-extended models were roughly 4.5 points more promotional than in December 2024. Battery-electric promotions were about 1.1 points higher versus December 2024 and roughly 0.4 points above last month. The national trade-in policy is delivering: sales are rising, price-cut "involution" has eased notably, and operational pressure in the sector is improving. From January to November, the auto industry's profit margin rebounded to 4.4%, still a mid-to-low level — a sign of rising scale and more stable pricing.
CLS: On January 8, Citi's latest report said NVIDIA unveiled the new Rubin platform and multiple AI innovations at CES 2026, materially boosting AI performance and efficiency. AWS, Google Cloud and other cloud giants will begin deploying the platform in the second half of 2026. Citi sees NVIDIA’s current valuation as attractive, maintaining a Buy rating with a target price of USD 270.
CLS: According to the latest industry data from Turkey's Automotive Dealers and Mobility Association, despite high taxes and tighter financing, Turkey’s auto sales in 2025 still rose 10.5% year on year to 1.37 million — a record high. On a monthly basis, December sales climbed 12.6% year on year to 191,620 units.
Policy Updates | Policy Situation
CLS: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Department of Science and Technology has released a public consultation on seven mandatory national standard projects, including "Intelligent Connected Vehicles — Safety Requirements for Automated Parking Systems." The public comment period runs from January 8 to January 13, 2026.
