OEM Trends
On March 17, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun announced on social media that Xiaomi has officially launched the "Jiaolong Chassis," a high-performance smart chassis system. It is designed specifically for drivers and will debut on the new SU7 model. Lei Jun said the chassis aims to deliver a precise, stable, and safe driving experience. Its core strength lies in high-quality hardware, professional tuning, and deep software-hardware integration.
On March 17, Leapmotor released its assisted driving roadmap and 2025 full-year financial data. Leapmotor expects to launch nationwide city navigation assist in the second quarter of 2026, targeting top-tier industry performance. By the end of 2026, the company plans to complete its autonomous driving base model. It will implement R&D using AI large models to achieve industry-leading capabilities.
On March 17, Zeekr officially began pre-sales for the 8X, its new flagship performance SUV. The lineup includes standard versions (Max, Ultra, Ultra+) and the Yaoying series. Pre-sale prices range from 376,800 to 446,800 yuan, while the Yaoying version starts at 516,800 yuan. According to the company, orders for the 8X surpassed 10,000 units within 38 minutes.
XPENG Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng outlined the rollout schedule for the second-generation VLA. The phased launch starts on March 19 with the P7 Ultra, followed by the G7 and X9 Ultra; users will receive updates throughout the month. In April, XPENG will roll out the technology to the 2026 P7+ Ultra | Ultra SE, the 2026 G9 Ultra | Ultra SE, and the 2026 G6 Ultra | Ultra SE. It will also cover the G7 Ultra | Ultra SE.
Great Wall Motor CEO Wei Jianjun appeared on People's Daily's "Wendao" program to discuss strengthening China's auto industry. Wei reiterated his opposition to low-quality price wars. He argued that market forces have hijacked the industry, with investors prioritizing market share. Automakers are using ruthless price wars to gain share, squeezing dealers and suppliers while failing to protect employee rights. Great Wall Motor is committed to a long-term strategy and will not participate in this frenzied internal competition.
Supply Chain News
On March 17 at the 2026 GTC conference, NVIDIA announced several advancements and partnerships in L4 autonomous driving. The company will partner with BYD, Geely, and Nissan to develop next-generation projects based on the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform. Isuzu will join forces with TIER IV to use the platform's DRIVE AGX Thor chip for L4 autonomous buses.
Haoneng Shares announced on March 17 that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Luzhou Haoneng, completed the first phase of its automotive differential assembly production base. To expand capacity, the company plans a second phase at the same site. The project represents an investment of 400 million yuan.
Huguang Shares stated on March 17 that it plans to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary in Singapore through Huguang (Hong Kong) International. This entity will join Huguang Hong Kong to invest in a joint venture in Tunisia. They will build an automotive wiring harness production base with a total investment not exceeding 37.5 million euros (approx. 296 million yuan). The investment covers land, construction, and equipment. Phase I is expected to take six months and requires approvals.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on March 17 that Tesla and South Korea's LG Energy Solution are deepening their partnership via a supply agreement. They will invest $4.3 billion to build an LFP prismatic battery cell plant in Lansing, Michigan. Production is slated to begin in 2027. These cells will power Tesla's Megapack 3 systems produced in Houston, bolstering the domestic battery supply chain.
The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) threatened to vote on a potential strike. If the vote passes this Wednesday, chip production could halt in May, potentially costing the company billions of dollars. As the world's largest memory chip maker, a strike would deal a major blow to Samsung's semiconductor business. It would also exacerbate global supply bottlenecks for industries like automotive and computing.
Guangzhou Farasis Technology, a subsidiary of Farasis Technology, recently secured a project designation from GAC Group. Farasis will develop and supply battery products for GAC. Deliveries are expected to begin in the first half of 2027. The collaboration will utilize LFP batteries based on Farasis' SPS technology.
Industrial Economy
On March 17, Hong Kong-listed new energy vehicle stocks rallied. NIO gained over 3%, while Leapmotor and XPENG rose nearly 3%. Li Auto climbed more than 2%, and Xiaomi Group was up nearly 2%.
On March 17, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won told attendees at NVIDIA's GTC conference that due to systemic bottlenecks in chip production, the global shortage of memory chips will likely persist until 2030. He forecast that prices for DRAM, NAND, and HBM will continue to rise, with the upward trend expected to last for an extended period.
Institutions expect domestic retail prices for gasoline and diesel to rise on March 23. Estimates from Zhuo Chuang Info suggest a price increase of 1,280 yuan per ton. This translates to hikes of 1.09 yuan for No. 0 diesel, 1.01 yuan for 92-octane gasoline, and 1.06 yuan for 95-octane gasoline. Filling a 50-liter tank with 92-octane gasoline will cost an additional 50.5 yuan. Consequently, retail prices at domestic gas stations will push No. 0 diesel and 92-octane gasoline fully into the "8-yuan era," while 95-octane gasoline will climb above 9 yuan.
