OEM Trend
On March 16, Xiaomi EV announced that the next-generation SU7 will officially launch on March 19. Pre-orders for the new model opened in early January 2026, with prices ranging from 229,900 to 309,900 yuan.
On March 16, Harmony lntelligent Mobility Alliance announced that the Z7 and Z7T under the Shangjie brand will open for pre-sales on the 23rd of this month. Positioned as pure electric sedans and shooting brakes, the duo is expected to be priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan. Targeting young drivers with a focus on technology, sportiness, handling, and intelligence, they will challenge the segment's current favorites — the Xiaomi SU7 and Tesla Model 3.
Construction recently began on Dongfeng Honda's Wuhan Full-Function Center project at the former Plant 2. This facility marks the automaker's first independently operated direct-sale store, designed to integrate brand display, user experience, and sales services. Once operational, it aims to optimize the regional automotive distribution network and boost consumer spending.
Li Auto's product line head, Tang Jing, recently provided an update on the MEGA battery recall. The completion rate has now topped 97.5% — out of 11,411 units, 11,128 have been serviced, leaving just 283 owners. "Even with cloud-based early warnings, potential safety risks remain, so we strongly recommend replacing the battery as soon as possible," Tang Jing said.
BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li revealed that the company's Brazilian plant has secured export orders totaling 100,000 vehicles from Argentina and Mexico. Speaking at an event in Rio de Janeiro on March 13, Li confirmed that both Argentina and Mexico placed orders for 50,000 cars each. She also outlined the facility's roadmap: the Camaçari plant in Bahia currently produces 150,000 vehicles annually, with plans to scale up production to 600,000 units in stages.
Supply Chain News
Hesai Technology announced on March 16 that it is deepening its strategic partnership with Neolix. The two companies will collaborate more closely on L4 autonomous urban delivery, aiming to accelerate the mass production and commercial operation of unmanned delivery vehicles. Under the agreement, Hesai will remain Neolix's largest LiDAR supplier, providing a comprehensive suite of automotive-grade solutions — including the long-range ATX and blind-spot detection FTX — for Neolix's next-generation RoboVan lineup. These systems will be standard across all of Neolix's mass-production fleets.
Tianma Microelectronics released its 2025 annual report, showing annual revenue of 36.23 billion yuan — an 8.16% increase from the previous year. The company returned to profitability with a net profit of 167 million yuan, marking an improvement of over 800 million yuan. Excluding non-recurring items, net profit improved by more than 1.6 billion yuan. Gross margins rose by 3.05 percentage points, while operating cash flow climbed 21.49% to 6.99 billion yuan, signaling a broad turnaround in operational efficiency.
Guangdong Weiling Auto Parts Co. LTD has increased its registered capital from 200 million yuan to 1.2 billion yuan — a 500% surge. Founded in October 2018 with Qiu Xiangwei as legal representative, the company specializes in the R&D, design, manufacturing, and sales of automotive and motorcycle components. Shareholder records show the firm is a joint venture between Midea Group and Foshan Midea Air Conditioning Industrial Investment.
Industrial Focus
Hong Kong-listed chip stocks extended their rally on March 16. GigaDevice and Hua Hong Semiconductor surged more than 10%, while Montage Technology climbed over 7%. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and Solomon Systech also followed suit.
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), wrote that the average retail price of passenger cars climbed from 165,000 yuan in 2021 to 184,000 yuan in 2024. However, the average dipped to 170,000 yuan in 2025 — a drop of 14,000 yuan from the previous year. By February 2026, prices had rebounded to an average of 180,000 yuan, marking a 15,000 yuan increase year-on-year.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission have issued a notice launching pilot programs for comprehensive hydrogen energy applications. The directive sets targets for 2030: city clusters must achieve large-scale hydrogen deployment across multiple sectors, bringing the average terminal price below 25 yuan per kilogram — and as low as 15 yuan in leading regions. The goal is to double the country's fuel-cell vehicle stock from 2025 levels to 100,000 units. By scaling up applications, the government aims to drive innovation in fuel cells, electrolyzers, and storage technologies, positioning hydrogen as a new economic engine for a green transition.
D-Robotics has closed a $120 million Series B1 funding round. The round attracted a high-profile mix of industrial giants, strategic investors, and top-tier institutions. Industrial heavyweights Didi and Meituan's Longzhu participated, alongside strategic investors including Borui Capital, Joyoung Family Office, and BAIC Industrial Investment.
Octopus Energy has secured seed funding totaling hundreds of millions of yuan. Investors include Horizon Robotics and several prominent U.S. dollar funds, founder Du Dalong confirmed on social media. Established in late 2025, the startup is dedicated to "Physical AGI" with a mission to crack the "Physical AI Turing Test."
Policy Updates
In a joint notice, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission urged city clusters to prioritize pilot projects in areas such as fuel-cell vehicles, green ammonia and methanol, hydrogen-based chemical feedstocks, hydrogen metallurgy, and hydrogen-blended combustion. The directive encourages exploring innovative use cases to build a comprehensive ecosystem defined as "one general scenario for fuel-cell vehicles, N industrial scenarios, and X innovative scenarios."
Executive Changes
Linglong Tire announced on March 16 that Wang Feng has submitted his resignation as president, a move aimed at optimizing the company's governance structure. Wang will remain with the firm in other capacities. The board has appointed Zhou Lingkun as the new president. Born in 1974 and a Zhejiang University graduate, Zhou brings extensive consulting experience. From 1997 to February 2026, he served as an SAP implementation consultant at Arthur Andersen, a business process design and SAP consultant at IBM, and general manager of HP's Enterprise Application Consulting division. Most recently, he held several senior roles at Deloitte China, including East Regional Leader for Consulting, Chief Talent Officer, President of the Digital Business Group, Automotive Sector Leader, President of the Enterprise Technology & Performance Group, and Board Member.
