China Widens EV Lead as Autonomy Hits Headwinds

Chery Automobile clarified that it is only an investor in the EMT joint venture and will not take part in its management after reports that Chery joined AUTOBACS SEVEN and others to establish a company to sell China-made EVs in Japan starting around 2027. The multi-party alliance reportedly includes Jiangsu Yueda, battery maker Gotion High-Tech, and Japanese paint-equipment firm Anest Iwata, and formed a Singapore holding to back EMT, which aims to market vehicles under a Japan-origin brand with engineers from Honda and Mazda. Chery’s rebuttal matters because it tempers expectations about Chinese automakers’ direct operational entry into Japan while confirming cross-border investment ties in EV supply chains.

Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, acknowledged three main regrets with the first-generation L9—chassis, chip, and battery cells—and framed the all-new L9 Livis as the solution aiming to deliver both sharp handling and uncompromised passenger comfort. He shared a video showing impressive slalom performance for a nearly three-ton full-size SUV, asserting the Livis achieves a no-compromise balance. The L9 Livis is positioned as a flagship six-seat full-size SUV with a 72.7 kWh 5C range-extension battery, a new 1.5T range extender, 420 km CLTC pure-electric range, and a combined range of 1,650 km; WLTC fuel consumption drops to 6.3 L/100 km. Prepriced at ¥559,800, deliveries begin May 15.

Chery Motor has clarified reports that it is entering the Japanese market via a tie-up with AUTOBACS SEVEN and other partners to sell China-made electric vehicles. Media said the partners formed a joint venture and a Yokohama-based development and sales unit called EMT, which plans to launch a Chery-backed EV brand with deliveries starting in 2027, featuring ADAS and targeting mainstream price segments. Chery responded that it is only one of several investors in the EMT project and is not involved in its operations or management. The move matters because it signals continued Chinese EV makers’ push into mature markets and potential collaboration models with established local aftermarket/retail players.

Toyota plans to build a new automobile manufacturing plant in India, according to a report cited by 36Kr referencing Caixin/financial news sources. The move signals Toyota’s continued investment in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets and aims to boost local production capacity, likely serving domestic demand and exports. For the tech and auto industries, the expansion could accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing, localization of supply chains, and opportunities for suppliers of EV components, software, and automation. The report did not detail location, capacity, timeline, or product mix, leaving open questions about whether the facility will target internal combustion models, hybrids, or electric vehicles.

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China’s BYD has launched the 2026 Seagull (海鸥) A00‑class electric car priced from ¥69,900 to ¥97,900, marketed as the first A00 model to support optional lidar. The Seagull offers 305 km and 405 km ranges with 30.08 kWh or 38.88 kWh batteries, a 55 kW motor, MacPherson front and torsion‑beam rear suspension, and safety features including dual front airbags and panoramic camera. Higher trims include BYD’s DiPilot ADAS packs: standard ‘Thousand‑Mile Eye’ and ‘Sentinel’ plus DiPilot 100; buyers can option the lidar‑enabled DiPilot 300 (“Tianshen Eye B”) on two high‑range trims. The move signals wider trickle‑down of advanced driver‑assist hardware into entry‑level EVs.

Ford disclosed a 2023 US patent this month for a system that lets parked cars autonomously move to avoid imminent scrapes or collisions. The sensor-fusion system continuously monitors surrounding moving objects, predicts their trajectories and threat levels, and if a dangerous impact is likely, will—when deemed safe and feasible—relocate the vehicle to avoid it. Before moving, the car will sound horns and flash lights; if a collision still cannot be avoided, all cameras will record the incident. The filing notes existing hardware in modern cars could support similar functions (Tesla’s Sentry+FSD cited), but legal and regulatory hurdles for unmanned vehicle movement remain significant for real-world deployment.

Faraday Future founder Jia Yueting announced his return as global CEO and that Jerry has been named global executive chairman, marking what he calls the company’s "ultimate return" to its founding team. Jia outlined four historical phases for FF and said the company will pivot into a US-based "physical AI ecosystem" focused on embodied-intelligence robotics, with two product engines: EAI humanoid/bioinspired robots and EAI automotive robots. Initial execution will prioritize humanoid and bioinspired robots; automotive-robot efforts will wait until strategic or long-term funding sufficient for mass production is secured. FF also signaled its upcoming Super One deliveries will prioritize an 800V pure-electric or AIHER hybrid architecture, pausing the 400V collaboration.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s new FREELANDER brand teased the exterior of its first model, the Freelander 8, a luxury ‘all-terrain’ SUV set to debut later this year after appearing in Chinese regulatory filings. The boxy, flagship 8-series emphasizes a yacht-style waistline, wide tailgate badged FREELANDER, panoramic dome roof and a third-row dedicated ‘‘sky corridor.’’ The vehicle integrates lidar on the nose and will ship with Huawei’s QianKun ADS V4.1 driving system across the range. Built on the iMax platform, dimensions are ~5118–5185/2050/1898mm with 3,040mm wheelbase; powertrains include BEV, range-extender and PHEV, with China getting an 800V range-extender platform, CATL batteries and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8397 compute.

NVIDIA has poured over $40 billion in equity investments into AI companies in early 2026, with a single $30 billion stake in OpenAI accounting for the largest share. CNBC and IT之家 report the chipmaker also announced several multibillion-dollar investments in public companies, including up to $3.2 billion in Corning and up to $2.1 billion in data-center operator IREN. NVIDIA completed dozens of VC deals in 2025 and has participated in about 20 private-startup financings so far in 2026, per FactSet. Analysts note these moves look like circular investments among partners but could cement NVIDIA’s competitive moat if they pay off.

SAIC Motor’s MG brand has released regulatory filing images for the MG 07, according to the title. The filing indicates the model will be offered with two powertrain options: a battery-electric (pure EV) version and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version. The title also states the MG 07 is expected to launch within the current year, though no specific date, pricing, specifications, range figures, or market details are provided. If accurate, the dual-powertrain strategy would position MG 07 to address both EV-focused buyers and customers seeking hybrid flexibility, and the appearance in filing materials suggests the vehicle is progressing through required approval steps ahead of commercialization. Further details cannot be confirmed without the article body.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s new FREELANDER sub-brand has filed the first model, the Shenxingzhe 8, with China’s MIIT and is expected to launch in the second half of 2026. The boxy “luxury tech all-terrain SUV” features a closed front, roof rails, and an onboard 896-line lidar. FREELANDER says the Shenxingzhe 8 will standardize Huawei’s QianKun ADS V4.1 driving system across the lineup and is built on a new iMax platform supporting BEV, range-extended, and PHEV variants; China will lead with an 800V high-voltage range-extender setup. Partners include Huawei (driving stack), CATL (battery co-development) and Qualcomm (snapdragon 8397 SoC), promising 350 kW peak charging and a 6C peak-rate hybrid battery.

Most newsworthy: BYD and China Auto Rental (Shenzhou Zuche) signed a framework agreement for 100,000 vehicle purchases and a joint “Flash Charging China” rollout. The deal, signed May 9 in Shenzhen, commits BYD to equip eligible Shenzhou rental outlets nationwide with BYD fast-charging stations and builds a broad, high-density charging network; BYD aims to complete 20,000 flash charge stations by year-end. The framework follows prior cooperation—Shenzhou began electrification in 2025, piloted 3,000 BYD Qin PLUS DM-i units, and bought nearly 30,000 BYD cars in 2025—cementing BYD’s role as a core supplier and accelerating Shenzhou’s green fleet expansion. It matters because large-scale fleet electrification and charging infrastructure deployment can materially boost EV adoption and operational scale in China’s mobility sector.

GAC Aion’s legal department denied being summoned or placed under investigation over OTA "battery lock" issues after online posts claimed three automakers were under investigation and eight were summoned. The company said those posts falsely included GAC Aion on lists of firms being probed; internal verification shows no government summons or formal investigations involving the automaker. The clarification aims to correct misinformation that could harm reputation amid broader scrutiny of automakers’ OTA updates and consumer complaints. The matter matters to the auto-tech and connected-vehicle ecosystem because regulatory action or reputational damage around OTA practices can affect software update policies, consumer trust, and industry compliance standards.

Li Xiang, founder and CEO of Li Auto, explained why the new Li Auto L9 took nearly four years to replace its predecessor, arguing that automotive development cannot mirror smartphones’ rapid iteration because vehicles directly affect user safety and require extensive real-world validation. He described destructive teardown tests, large-scale road testing to accumulate mileage under complex conditions, and said AI has limited ability so far to speed up physical vehicle verification. The new full-size flagship L9 Livis will start deliveries May 15 with a 55.98万 CNY preprice, 420 km CLTC electric range, 1650 km combined range using a 5C range-extender system, 2560 TOPS onboard compute with lidar and in-house Mach 100 chips, 800V active suspension and full-by-wire chassis.

Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch : NHTSA says the 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first car model to pass the agency's new ADAS tests; Tesla conducted the tests and submitted the results to the NHTSA — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Tuesday that the later release 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle …

AI赛道验证效果最快的是在代码和软件，我们已经看到了Anthropic的威力。一旦涉及到物理世界，基建，生命，强监管就会极大拉长投资周期和验证审批周期。这在早期对于创新公司是巨大的逆风，例如特斯拉要成为robotaxi公司首先需要成为一家车企，甚至到了supervised FSD相当成熟的阶段还要解决无数的FSD长尾效应/效率问题和布局商业运营基建。又如Lemonade在早期需要海量的理赔数据来fine tune理赔模型，还要一个州一个州一个产品一个产品的去拿监管牌照。又如Tempus要先成为一家运营实验室的诊疗公司，又要打通医院系统拿到更多的数据，要在药企建立reputation，还要和FDA监管打交道。但是这一切前期投入不会白费，飞轮效应加持到一定体量，我相信后期的护城河将会坚固无比，这不是大模型公司说推翻就能推翻的。