[Gasgoo Newsflash] VOYAH and Yinwang jointly develop intelligent driving and cockpits; Pony.ai and BAIC BJEV deepen cooperation

OEM Trend

• On Jan 12, VOYAH Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. and Huawei-controlled subsidiary Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to deepen their strategic partnership, expanding into joint development of intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits, as well as cooperating on consumer-facing software operations.

• Market chatter recently claimed Xiaomi partner and president Lu Weibing had resigned, drawing attention online. Notably, his Weibo-verified Xiaomi title has not changed. On Jan 12, Lu reposted an update on Xiaomi Auto and wrote "back to work today," pushing back on the resignation rumor.

• On Jan 12, BAIC BJEV and Pony.ai agreed to a "five-in-one" comprehensive deepening strategic cooperation, kicking off phase 2.0 of their collaboration. Building on the pair's success in scaling Level 4 robotaxi production and operations, they plan to broaden and deepen work focused on mass production, commercialization and globalization of autonomous driving.

• On Jan 12, Lotus China's official Weibo announced that Lotus sports cars have formally connected to Haohan Energy's charging service, with the first batch covering 600+ charging sites and nearly 4,000 premium chargers. Haohan says its sites feature smart ground-lock coverage above 90%, and Lotus owners can use the Lotus app for precise smart lock-lowering and parking discounts. Haohan's website describes it as an energy-tech company serving all brands under Geely Holding Group, including Galaxy, ZEEKR, Lynk & Co and Lotus.

• Geely Holding Group may begin producing and selling ZEEKR and Lynk & Co models in the U.S. before 2030. If the plan advances, the Chinese auto group — which owns Lotus, Polestar and Volvo Cars — could leverage Volvo's plant in South Carolina to sidestep tariffs and formally establish a U.S. footprint.

Supply Chain News

• Tailong Co. said on Jan 12 via its interactive platform that the company and its subsidiaries focus on semiconductor distribution and commercial lighting, with distributed semiconductor products mainly used in consumer electronics, IoT and automotive electronics, and currently no related products applied in commercial aerospace.

• On Jan 12, Guoqi Zhikong said it signed an airport shuttle-bus order worth tens of millions of yuan, marking that its OEM-focused Level 3 autonomous driving platform solution has entered mass delivery. The partnership will deploy autonomous shuttle functions in airport scenarios around three goals — "smart mobility, efficient connections and all-hours operations" — enabling automakers to efficiently develop L3 models and deliver them at scale with high quality.

• On Jan 12, GigaDevice announced it has formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chery Automobile. The two will establish a long-term, stable partnership, aiming for deep coordination across the full value chain of in-vehicle chips and jointly building next-generation intelligent vehicle system solutions for the AI era — injecting core momentum into China's smart-vehicle transition.

• Zhongding's manufacturing base in Querétaro, Mexico has officially broken ground. The plant will have a total construction area of about 60,000 square meters, including 37,000 square meters in the first phase, and is expected to be completed by end-2026, with operations to start in 2027 Q1.

• The Jiaxing National High-Tech Zone has again teamed up with Faurecia (China) Investment Co., Ltd., signing a new auto seat-frame project. The project will produce smart seat frames and smart seat health-and-comfort systems for multiple models including Leapmotor, LUXEED and Chery. Planned capacity can meet seat-frame demand for 2.879 million vehicles, with commissioning slated from May through end-2026, and five-year cumulative additional output projected at 3.21 billion yuan.

Industry Focus | Industrial Economy

• Cui Dongshu of the China Passenger Car Association said the average passenger-car price for Jan–Dec 2025 is 170,000 yuan, down 14,000 yuan from 2024. He noted that conventional ICE-car prices had been climbing, with a pronounced market shrinkage at the mid- and low-end while the high-end contracted more slowly — lifting the average from 150,000 yuan in 2019 to 183,000 yuan in 2023. For 2025, as premium ICE models shrink more rapidly, he added, the Jan–Dec average falls to 182,000 yuan, with December at 192,000 yuan, and ICE buyers stabilizing.

• UBS analysts said that as China's domestic auto market keeps growing, overseas expansion is becoming more critical for Chinese carmakers. By the latest estimate, overseas markets now account for around 20% of Chinese automakers' sales, and in some cases overseas profits can reach as high as 50% of the total.

• On Jan 12, Weilai Buyuan Robotics announced the completion of a 200 million yuan angel round. ZhenFund led the round, with follow-on from Lianxin Capital, Yuanlai Capital and several existing shareholders.

• On Jan 12, Zibianliang Robotics closed a 1 billion yuan Series A++ round. Investors include ByteDance, Sequoia China, the Beijing Information Industry Development Fund, Shenzhen Capital Group, Nanshan Strategic Emerging Investment, Xichuang Investment and other top institutions alongside local platforms. It is also the first investment by SCGC's AI fund. Of note, beyond ByteDance, Zibianliang had previously secured backing from Meituan and Alibaba — making it the only embodied-intelligence company in China invested by all three internet giants.

Policy Situation

• Shanghai has released the Three-Year Action Plan (2026–2028) to support the transformation and upgrading of advanced manufacturing. The plan calls for strengthening key and emerging industries: next-generation information technology, intelligent connected NEVs, high-end equipment, advanced materials, green and low-carbon sectors, and fashion consumer goods — supporting companies in advanced manufacturing. The city will guide investment into low-altitude economy, commercial aerospace, embodied intelligence, biomanufacturing and smart terminals, and accelerate breakthroughs to scale innovative products such as eVTOL aircraft, commercial rockets and humanoid robots.