OEM Trend
IT Home: Tesla has launched a 4-in-1 USB-C hub for the refreshed Model 3/Y in overseas markets, expanding the center console's single USB-C port into four. Priced at $85 (roughly 587.3 yuan at current exchange rates), the product is expected to hit the Tesla China online store shortly.
Cailian Press: The Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group have recently signed a new strategic framework agreement. Under the deal, both parties will deepen the integration of technological and industrial innovation, aiming to build a world-class advanced manufacturing cluster for automobiles and components. By leveraging Zhejiang's unique advantages in business environment and industrial ecology alongside Geely Holding's strengths in smart manufacturing, new energy technology, and intelligent connectivity, the partnership seeks to elevate cooperation levels. Together, they aim to drive the high-end, intelligent, and green transformation of the local auto sector, contributing significantly to the high-quality development of Zhejiang's manufacturing industry.
Jiemian News: According to AITO Auto, cumulative deliveries of the AITO M7 series have now surpassed 430,000 units. The current lineup offers both extended-range and pure electric variants, available in five- and six-seat configurations, with prices starting from 279,800 yuan.
Yicai: The global leader in new energy vehicle sales is eyeing the track. A source close to BYD confirmed that Executive Vice President Stella Li recently stated the company is exploring entry into top-tier motorsport, including Formula 1, though a final decision has not been made. Li noted that participating in the highest level of racing aligns with BYD's long-standing technology-first strategy. According to her, BYD is currently assessing the feasibility of entering F1 and endurance racing. Reports suggest the company is considering two paths—acquiring an existing team or building one from scratch—with a preference for the former.
Kuaiji Technology: At Li Auto's 2025 full-year earnings call, Co-founder and President Ma Donghui explicitly dismissed rumors that the company plans to close up to 100 stores, confirming that store expansion will continue in 2026. Ma stated that Li Auto has never formulated a large-scale closure plan; instead, it will only rotate out a small number of underperforming outlets that fail to meet sales targets. This move addresses issues such as poor early site selection or declining mall traffic, representing a routine operational optimization rather than a contraction of the overall sales channel.
Gasgoo: Geely Auto Group's intelligent driving system, G-ASD (Qianli Haohan), has officially obtained the UN R171 international certification. Jointly awarded by CATC and IDIADA, the certification marks G-ASD as the first Chinese high-level assisted driving system to successfully go global.
Gasgoo: Volkswagen Anhui has announced the official start of production for the "With U 08," the Volkswagen brand's first full-time connected, full-size electric SUV. This is the first model to launch since the two sides established a long-term strategic partnership in 2023, moving from a joint development agreement to mass production in just two years. The launch of this model signals that the Volkswagen Group's "In China, For China" strategy has entered a phase of concrete results.
Supply Chain News
Gasgoo: Guangzhou Tech announced a partnership with Yinhe General Robotics. The company will supply its automotive-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) module, the IMU5146, to provide high-precision velocity and attitude data for Yinhe's embodied intelligent robots. This technology will enable precise balance control and navigation positioning within complex, dynamic environments.
Gasgoo: ShiDian Tech officially announced a deep strategic partnership with RortiX, signing a procurement agreement for 100 E20 eVTOL aircraft.
Industrial Economy
Cailian Press: Ouyang Minggao, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently stated that 2026 will kick off a new cycle of innovation-led high-quality development. Over the next five years, the new energy vehicle industry will focus on seven key technological directions: full-process safety, all-climate ultra-fast charging (including rapid replenishment via battery swapping), fully autonomous driving, full steer-by-wire chassis, all-solid-state batteries, all-condition efficiency (covering high-speed and low-temperature scenarios), and "full-function" electric vehicles. The latter encompasses power generation, energy storage, and vehicle-energy integration. Ouyang noted that according to innovation diffusion theory, once NEV penetration surpasses 50%, the market officially transitions from the early majority to the late majority stage, meaning market share growth will slow while the pace of ownership accumulation accelerates.
Jiemian News: The China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) released the results of its "Automobile Dealer Inventory" survey for February 2026: The comprehensive inventory coefficient stood at 1.95, rising 31.8% month-on-month and 21.1% year-on-year. Data from CADA's passenger car branch shows retail sales reached 1.043 million units in February, bringing total dealer inventory to an estimated 2 million units by month-end.
Jiemian News: XPeng AeroHT announced the completion of a new equity financing round totaling nearly $200 million. Investors included Hillhouse Capital, Sequoia China, Gaorong Ventures, and Fortune Capital. Notably, Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia China increased their investment following the Series A round. With this latest round, AeroHT's total historical equity financing has reached approximately $1 billion.
Policy Situation
People's Finance Online: The General Offices of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Transport have jointly issued a notice regarding the application for the 2026 county-level charging and swapping infrastructure pilot program. The notice states that in 2026, the three departments will support two or more counties in applying jointly as "pilot counties," with a total of 59 such joint pilot counties planned. To qualify, the prefecture-level city where the lead county is located must have had a vehicle ownership of no less than 250,000 units in 2025. In a move to implement the central government's directive on expanding green power applications, charging and swapping stations powered by photovoltaics will see their annual "self-generated and self-consumed" electricity volume calculated at a 1.2x multiplier if it exceeds 40% of total charging volume. Counties approved as pilots in 2024 and 2025 will also follow this standard.
Xinhua News Agency: Authorities in Linyi, Shandong Province, are taking decisive action following media reports about illegal vehicle dismantling. According to the city, a joint task force comprising departments of commerce, market regulation, ecology, environment, transport, and public security has been established. The team is conducting on-site inspections and sealing assets in accordance with the law, pledging to crack down hard on illegal dismantling operations. A special campaign to inspect and rectify the issue is also being rolled out across the entire city.
