After declaring an "unapologetic" push into new energy and smart technologies, Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue doubled down at the company's AI Night on Jan. 17. He pledged that "AI will remain unapologetic in 2026" and unveiled a comprehensive, full-spectrum AI strategy.
Yin pointed out, "Every industry and enterprise today deserves—and must be—reconstructed by AI. Chery is determined to embrace AI without reservation, giving traditional cars AI wings and empowering every sector with this technology."
Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue speaks at the event (Image source: Chery Automobile)
Progress: Two Decades of Penetration, a Full-Spectrum AI Layout Complete
Amid the current AI boom, Chery—long stereotyped as a tech-focused "nerd"—has been quietly honing its capabilities and making big moves. In fact, Chery has spent over 20 years on AI R&D, pouring in more than 40 billion yuan in continuous investment.
As early as 2003, when most cars were still just tools for transport, Chery launched the "talking QQ" with voice interaction to explore human-machine communication. By 2016, the Arrizo 5 featured Cloudrive 2.0, pioneering the "Hello, Xiao Ai" voice function. In 2024, the company established an AI Research Institute, and by January 2025, it formally founded Moja Robotics. This created a product matrix featuring the humanoid robot "Mornine" and the quadruped robotic dog "Argos." Mornine is set to complete mass deliveries of over 300 units by the end of 2025, covering more than 30 countries, while Argos will deliver its 1,000th unit in December 2025. Consequently, Chery has been jokingly dubbed by outsiders as "a robotics company delayed by car manufacturing."
Image source: Chery Automobile
Today, Chery's AI technology extends across every scenario of a user's life. In mobility, the Lingxi Smart Cockpit, Falcon Smart Driving, AI Power, and Digital Chassis define the core smart car experience, while the Robocar autonomous vehicle project accelerates. On the robotics front, "Mornine" and "Argos" are already deployed in hospitals, traffic command, security patrols, industrial reconnaissance, and special operations. On the energy side, solutions like Xunlong instant charging and V2G smart energy stations optimize efficiency and the charging experience. In the low-altitude sector, the Lingxiao land-air amphibious flight platform provides strong support.
Beyond products, Chery has permeated AI applications across five key corporate links: R&D, production, supply chain, sales, and service, creating "comprehensive intelligence" that drives dual improvements in efficiency and experience. According to Xie Baojun, Vice President of Chery Automobile Co., AI programming serves as an "all-weather coding partner" for development teams. It boosts coding efficiency by 40%, improves quality by 45%, increases mentorship efficiency by 30%, and intercepts 85% of defects.
Chery Automobile Vice President Xie Baojun speaks at the event (Image source: Chery Automobile)
"AI is not just a tool; it is a colleague, a consultant, and a silicon-based version of ourselves in another dimension. A new era is arriving where everyone learns and uses AI, where AI is everywhere, and where products are fully AI-enabled." Yin said.
Strategy: Upholding One Baseline, Breaking Through in Three Directions
At AI Night, Chery released its comprehensive AI strategy, adhering to "one baseline, three directions." The goal is to promote universal accessibility and achieve the inclusive empowerment of AI technology.
Yin noted that the integration of AI and automobiles still faces three major challenges: safety, legal and ethical issues, and quality and management. "AI is a captivating sharp weapon; we must make it faithfully serve humanity, not let it become a runaway horse." Therefore, Chery's unshakeable baseline is "people-first." On this foundation, the company will make full-force breakthroughs in three directions:
[Direction 1] AI for Product: Focusing on the Smart Vehicle Business to Realize Product Equality
● Enabling smart cockpits to correctly and timely understand external regulations, and making smart driving a highly intelligent butler and partner that understands human intent. Domestically, Chery will push for L2++ standard inclusion across all models and achieve mass production of L3/L4 Robotaxis and autonomous vehicles. Internationally, it aims to realize VPD (Valet Parking Driving) development, allowing every user equal access to the safety, peace of mind, and convenience brought by AI. Simultaneously, the car as a sustainably evolving intelligent terminal will extend to the Moja and agricultural machinery industries.
● Chery has established a Chip Research Institute to tackle high-computing chips, and a Green Energy company to actively layout E-fuels and explore controlled nuclear fusion. This gives AI a "chip" and "powers" computing—shifting the pursuit from mobility freedom to computing freedom and energy freedom.
● An open innovation system has been built. Chery has formed software-hardware integrated development teams and mid-to-back-office teams centered on AI. It is recruiting AI talent and "genius youths" globally to ensure organizational, human, and resource support. The focus is on nine forward-looking fields—2C technologies (batteries, chips), 2R technologies (humanoid robots, robotaxis), 3G technologies (green energy, green materials, green computing), as well as eVTOL aircraft and AI technology layout, actively entering the technological "no-man's land."
At the same time, Chery is engaging in comprehensive cooperation with top-tier companies like Huawei, Alibaba, ByteDance, NVIDIA, Chuangzhi Academy, and Lenovo in areas such as chip development and human-centric, warm AI interaction. The goal is to become one of China's most determined and deeply committed tech enterprises in embracing AI, building a solid "AI foundation" for the future.
[Direction 2] AI for Soul: Centering on the User to Give Technology Warmth and Realize Emotional Equality
The essence of the "new car" is not just a mobile physical space, but an entry point for an emotional ecosystem. Chery's smart cockpit and smart driving are evolving towards "high IQ + high EQ," ensuring AI not only follows commands but also reads emotions and provides resonance.
[Direction 3] AI for Industry: Layout Around the Full Value Chain to Realize Industrial Equality
Internally, AI is deeply integrating into the underlying logic of innovation and management. Through "AI for Engineering Development" and "AI for Science" innovation, Chery is driving continuous breakthroughs in materials and battery formulations, greatly accelerating the conversion speed and efficiency of hard technology. Meanwhile, AI is comprehensively reshaping the corporate operating system—through "AI for Operations Management," achieving refined and intelligent mid-to-back-office management, boosting organizational efficiency, and expanding corporate boundaries.
The announcement of Chery's AI strategy signals its official entry into the 2.0 (AI+) era of intelligence. This phase is more human-centric, secure, segmented, and ecosystem-based, covering broader fields with stronger scalability and commercial viability.
Applications: AI for All, Blooming Across Multiple Fronts
AI represents the greatest transformation for automobiles, just as the automobile is the most important carrier for AI. At this AI Night, Chery released its latest AI achievements and progress covering Falcon Smart Driving, Lingxi Smart Cockpit, Flying Fish Digital Chassis, and Kunpeng Power. The event systematically demonstrated a full-dimensional evolution from technology to experience, accelerating the push for AI equality.
Falcon Smart Driving has seen continuous improvements since its launch. This AI Night brought experience upgrades and product line expansions. Falcon 500 adds urban navigation assisted driving, realizing "equal intelligence for ICE and EVs, with urban capabilities as standard." Falcon 700 expands the product lineup with a new member to further popularize high-end smart driving. Falcon 900, carrying L3 and L4 solutions and supporting both commercial and passenger use, has further clarified its deployment path. Falcon Smart Driving will focus on domestic urban popularization and the implementation of international high-end solutions in 2026.
Lingxi Smart Cockpit adopts a new-generation AI architecture—a "heavy edge, strong cloud" structure—achieving interaction transformation, human-like memory, and privacy protection. On the interaction level, Chery has polished the UI based on brand DNA and launched the super AI agent "Xiao Qi." Based on the new architecture and a human-like memory framework, it ensures continuous memory and constant freshness, creating a super assistant exclusive to the user. Regarding privacy, it ensures data stays in the car and doesn't leave the cloud, guarding the bottom line of AI security.
Chassis and powertrain have also evolved. The Flying Fish Digital Chassis uses AI to reshape handling boundaries and driving styles, offering users active prevention, personalized driving, dynamic optimization, and a human-vehicle unity experience. Kunpeng seamless range extension supports multi-scenario AI recognition, while Kunpeng Intelligent Control C-iVC makes the car "better to drive the more you drive it." The power battery features an AI digital brain, providing 24/7 protection to ensure high safety, strong power, and long battery life.
On site, the AI-empowered model matrix—including the Fengyun T9L, Fengyun A9, and iCAR V27—made key appearances. The intelligent and beautiful large five-seat SUV, Fengyun T9L, opened blind pre-orders following its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The vehicle carries Kunpeng AI Super Hybrid CDM 6.0 and Falcon 700. Thanks to Kunpeng AI energy management, it becomes more efficient with use and supports AI personalization for a dedicated driving experience.
Fengyun T9L officially opens blind pre-orders (Image source: Chery Automobile)
To allow more people to experience the better life brought by inclusive AI, Li Xueyong, Executive Vice President of Chery Automobile, announced three major upgrade plans on site: "Smart Cockpit Upgrade," "Driving Assistance Upgrade," and "Range Capability Upgrade." The Lingxi Smart Cockpit plan is to achieve full inclusion across all core models of the entire brand lineup in Q1 2026; Falcon Smart Driving will be equipped on over 35 models in 2026; and range-extended models will achieve a pure electric range of 200 km+.
Chery Automobile Executive Vice President Li Xueyong speaks at the event (Image source: Chery Automobile)
While strengthening its main smart vehicle business, Chery noted it is accelerating the layout of future industries, actively promoting AI's comprehensive extension into the physical world. In the future, robotics will become a key "new growth curve."
The ultimate significance of AI is to make technology beneficial to the general public. Chery stated that in the future, it will focus on three major tasks: "building good AI products, using good AI tools, and building a good AI ecosystem." The aim is to create a brand-new world of human-machine coexistence and jointly welcome a beautiful future where "technology has AI, and life has great love."
