OEM Trend | Automaker Dynamics
IT Home: Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun announced on Weibo that the new SU7 has entered its final stage. Display vehicles will be sent to stores ahead of the launch, allowing customers to experience the car firsthand.
Gasgoo: On January 15, Fangchengbao officially announced that it has achieved 300,000 total brand sales and 100,000 sales for the Ti7 model. The brand currently manages a lineup that includes the Bao 5, Bao 8, Ti3, and Ti7.
IT Home: Nio's Onvo brand announced that its L60 Success Edition will launch and begin deliveries on January 16, with corresponding display vehicles already arriving at stores nationwide. For context, the current L60 lineup offers three configurations: the Standard version starting at 206,900 yuan (149,900 yuan with battery rental), the Black Knight Limited Edition starting at 211,900 yuan (154,900 yuan with battery rental), and the Violet version starting at 214,900 yuan (157,900 yuan with battery rental).
Blue Whale News: On January 15, the day after Baoneng Group Chairman and Qoros actual controller Yao Zhenhua protested the "fire sale" of Qoros' core assets at its Changshu plant, the auction proceeded as scheduled. As of press time, one person had registered to bid, 772 were following the listing, and 20,129 were watching online.
Gasgoo: FAW-Volkswagen recently held a launch ceremony in Chengdu for its new Jetta Automotive Technology entity. According to the company, this marks a strategic upgrade for Jetta, transforming it from a product brand into a technology company spanning the entire value chain—from R&D and production to supply and sales. Moving forward, Jetta Automotive Technology will follow a new development path: rooted in Sichuan, expanding across China, and eventually going overseas, anchoring a mid-term target of achieving 400,000 to 500,000 in annual production and sales.
Gasgoo: Dongfeng Motor announced that a delegation led by Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu recently visited the company. Yu engaged in in-depth discussions with Dongfeng Chairman Yang Qing and Executive Vice President Huang Yong on topics including the HarmonyOS ecosystem, frontier AI technologies, intelligent development in the auto industry, and corporate digital transformation.
Interface News: Intellectual property data from Tianyancha shows that Seres Group has recently applied to register three trademarks for "Yixin Intelligent Agent" under international classifications covering scientific instruments, vehicles, and website services. All three trademarks are currently awaiting substantive examination. Seres Group, established in May 2007 with a registered capital of approximately 1.63 billion yuan, is represented by legal person Zhang Zhengping. Its business scope includes the manufacturing and sales of automotive and mechanical components, electronics, and general machinery. Shareholder information indicates the company is jointly held by Chongqing Sokon Holding, Dongfeng Motor Group, and Chongqing Yu'an Automotive Industry.
IT Home: Mazda's first model built on its proprietary scalable electric platform has been delayed again. Originally slated to debut last year, the latest information suggests it won't arrive until 2028 at the earliest.
Supply Chain News
Cailian Press: SK Hynix America CEO Sungsoo Ryu said in an interview on January 15 that the first plant at the company's new chip production base in Yongin, South Korea, is scheduled to begin operations in February 2027—three months ahead of schedule. The company also plans to start deploying silicon wafers next month at its new M15X factory in Cheongju to produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips.
Gasgoo: On January 15, ROBOTERA and SF Technology officially signed an agreement to establish a deep partnership. The two companies will focus on logistics scenarios such as express delivery and warehousing to jointly develop and promote embodied AI robotic solutions, driving the logistics industry toward higher levels of intelligence and flexibility. Through this collaboration, the parties aim to use a "joint development and deployment" model to scale the application of embodied AI robots across supply chain operations—covering warehousing, transfer, and delivery—to comprehensively improve efficiency and quality. Additionally, they plan to jointly formulate industry standards for embodied AI in logistics, guiding standardized development and further upgrading the sector's capabilities.
Cailian Press: Baowu Magnesium recently stated during an institutional survey that it has begun mass production of magnesium alloy electric drive casings at its Nanjing Precision and Chongqing Boao facilities. As the push for lightweighting in new energy vehicles accelerates, the company anticipates significant growth in its electric drive casing business.
Gasgoo: Changan Automobile and CATL recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding in Chongqing to comprehensively deepen their strategic partnership. The collaboration will span technology application, market expansion, business model innovation, overseas expansion, and brand communication. Together, they plan to venture into frontier fields such as battery swapping services, intelligent automotive robots, flying cars, and embodied AI, injecting new momentum into the development of the new energy vehicle industry.
Industrial Economy
National Business Daily: On January 15, solid-state battery concept stocks staged a volatile rebound. Cybrid Technologies surged to the daily limit, while Zhongwei New Materials, Shenhui Technology, MANST, Huayou Cobalt, Liwang, and Dowstone Technology followed suit with gains.
Cailian Press: Semiconductor equipment stocks remained active on January 15. Xi Dian shares jumped more than 15% to hit a record high, following an earlier limit-up move by Sanjia Technology. Kingsemi, Jingyi Equipment, Zhongke Feice, AMEC, and ACM Research also posted gains.
Policy Situation
Xinhua: The White House announced in a recent statement that the United States will impose a 25% ad valorem tariff on certain imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and derivatives effective January 15. According to a fact sheet released by the White House, Nvidia's H200 chips and AMD's MI325X AI accelerator chips fall within the scope of these new tariffs. The statement cites Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 as the legal basis, aiming to "address national security threats." The U.S. consumes approximately one-quarter of the world's semiconductors but currently produces only about 10% of its demand domestically. American semiconductor capacity cannot meet defense needs or growing commercial demands, creating "serious economic and national security risks" due to reliance on foreign supply chains.
