Unravelling the Dynamics of China's Intelligent Driving Industry; Spotlight on XPeng
Mainly on L2+ assisted driving systems
Table of Contents
Things that Caught Our Attention
The State of Intelligent Driving in China
Intelligent Driving Boosts Sales
A Patent Perspective on Technology
NIO: Enhancing Vertical Integration
Things that Caught Our Attention
CATL, the leading global supplier of battery products, is reportedly considering a listing in Hong Kong, with the earliest potential launch slated for next year. (Source: Yicai).
E-commerce giant Pinduoduo possibly has established a substantial team dedicated to large-scale AI models in Shanghai. The team's focus is on exploring the application of these models in customer service and conversational interfaces, with plans to extend these applications to intelligent customer service, search, and recommendation systems for its cross-border e-commerce platform its cross-border e-commerce platform Temu. This development phase is still ongoing, and Pinduoduo has not yet responded to inquiries as of the time of reporting, according to Tech Planet.
According to Jiemian News, an internal document from Honor, a smartphone manufacturer, revealed plans to optimize its equity structure and attract diverse capital investment to support its next phase of strategic development. This move is a precursor to launching the company into the capital market through an IPO.
In September, Temu attracted 120 million visitors and dispatched an average of 1.6 million parcels daily to the United States. Over the past year, approximately 9% of Americans have shopped on Temu. In the highly competitive U.S. market, Temu's GMV in September is nearing that of SHEIN, an established player with over a decade of operation. (Source: LatePost)
Asia Society and PBS science series NOVA hosted a panel discussion as part of a screening of the NOVA documentary we mentioned in the previous newsletter. The panel featured producer and filmmaker David Borenstein, Sinica Podcast host Kaiser Kuo, and Tech Buzz China’s very own Rui Ma. Moderated by the award-winning producer and director Chris Schmidt, this discussion delves into the nuances of China's burgeoning tech sector. You can watch the recording of the panel discussion here.
Introduction
Hey there, my smart readers,
First off, an apology for the delay in delivering this newsletter – we'd blame it on the turkey, but honestly, it's more about some sniffles and sneezes that found their way into our team. Let’s just say Thanksgiving left us a tad more stuffed and under the weather than anticipated. But hey, better late than never, right? Now, let’s dive into the main course!
We kick things off with a deep dive into where China currently stands in the fast-paced world of intelligent driving. Spoiler alert: it's pretty exciting! Next, we zoom in on how Chinese automakers compete in the Highway and Urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) arena and unpack the direct impact of smart tech on sales figures, followed by a peek at patents to see who’s leading the innovation race.
Then, we take a close look at XPeng's reforms, one of the top players in the L2+ category of the intelligent driving market in China, including cleaning up its supply chain, cost-cutting strategies, and penetrating lower-tier markets. Last but not least, the race to commercialization is on – who will cross the finish line? Will XPeng be able to bridge the gap between early adoption and mainstream market success?
Freya Zhang, Ed Sander & Rui Ma
(click on the images above for information on the Tech Buzz China team)