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Malaysia Sun
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Malaysia Sun
Economic Watch: Wheels to wings: Chinese automakers challenge frontiers of mobility
SHANGHAI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- At the ongoing 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2025), Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker XPENG's humanoid robot, IRON, stole the spotlight by debating the merits of the company's self-developed flying car with its creator, CEO He Xiaopeng. Combining an electric road vehicle with an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air module, the model has already garnered nearly 5,000 pre-orders since its debut at Airshow China last year. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2026. "This is the Land Aircraft Carrier, the first-ever mass-produced flying car. The tech is absolutely next-level!" IRON said, raising its left hand and giving a thumbs-up to its audience. This fusion of robotics and aerial mobility signals a tectonic shift: China's auto industry is no longer confined to four wheels, with automakers breaking the mold and re-imagining mobility. And with embodied AI, cars aren't just evolving -- they're branching out into the areas of flying vehicles and humanoid robotics, forging a futuristic trio for the AI era. BEYOND WHEELS Behind this technological spectacle is an impressive industry performance. Official data showed that China's auto production and sales both saw year-on-year growth exceeding 10 percent in the first quarter, and its low-altitude economy, according to industry analysts, is rapidly approaching the 1-trillion-yuan (about 138.8 billion U.S. dollars) milestone, growing at a compound annual rate of nearly 30 percent. "The intelligent automotive sector is evolving into an aggregated intelligent industry," said Zhang Yongwei, vice chairman and secretary-general of NEV industry think tank China EV 100. "Smart vehicles stay on roads, flying cars ascend to low-altitude skies, and humanoid robots embody AI-driven mobility." This three-pronged vision materialized at the show: Chery's "three-body" composite-wing flying car attracted Southeast Asian buyers seeking island-hopping solutions, while GAC Group showcased its third-generation GoMate robot capable of navigating factory floors, with its six-hour battery life powered by auto-grade energy systems. "Our humanoid robot, Mornine, is now serving as a digital shopping assistant at Chery's dealerships in Malaysia," a company representative said, adding that following its rollout in Malaysia and Russia, Chery aims to have Mornine present in all of its dealerships worldwide. FAW Group unveiled its Hongqi-branded flying car at the show, featuring a flight range of over 200 kilometers and an intelligent cockpit system that delivers real-time voice and visual data to reduce operational complexity. The Changchun-based automaker confirmed that the vehicle will make its maiden flight this year, with development adhering to strict aviation safety standards. "Future auto shows won't just feature cars, they'll showcase more cutting-edge tech and embodied AI," He Xiaopeng said, drawing parallels to the early days of NEVs a decade ago. While flying cars and humanoid robots are still in their nascent stages, the tech entrepreneur feels confident in their rapid growth within the coming decade. SYNERGY UNLEASHED Smart cars, flying vehicles and humanoid robots share common technical foundation and supply chains. Analysts say that eVTOLs can share up to 80 percent of their supply chain with electric vehicles, leveraging China's mature EV supply chain for cost efficiency. "Smart vehicles, eVTOLs and robots share the same fundamental roots," Zhang said, adding that the control architectures, key hardware chips and software platforms developed for intelligent vehicles can be adapted for eVTOLs directly, with many components also transferable to humanoid robots. This technological synergy has been affirmed by many industry insiders. Aptiv China and Asia Pacific President Yang Xiaoming described flying cars as "electric vehicles that fly," saying that they bridge automotive electrification and aviation compliance. And startups like Digua Robotics see cars as "four-wheeled robots." "Autonomous driving systems -- cameras, radar and AI chips -- are identical to robotics," Digua CEO Wang Cong said. Bolstered by thriving aviation, NEV, 5G and AI industries, China's flying car sector has built a solid industrial foundation, achieving technological parity with global competitors and even leading in certain areas. The inexorable logic of scale also persists. With 30 million vehicles produced annually, Chinese automakers can slash costs for niche products like flying cars and robots. For example, GAC's GoMate robots are now capable of handling full vehicle production tasks in its auto plants, creating a self-contained business ecosystem within the automaker. BRIGHT HORIZON After 40 years of evolution, the Shanghai auto show has cemented its position as the world's premier automotive exhibition in both scale and prestige. "The exceptional visitor enthusiasm at this year's event speaks volumes about the robustness of China's industrial ecosystem and the magnetic pull of its economy," said Gu Chunting, vice chairman of the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai, which organized the event alongside the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. From Toyota's 2-billion-dollar Shanghai EV hub to BMW's deepened partnerships with Chinese tech companies like Huawei and DeepSeek, global players are anchoring themselves in China's mobility metamorphosis. "China has emerged as the world's foremost proving ground for electric and intelligent vehicle transformation over the past 10 years," said Guan Mingyu, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company Greater China, noting that the Chinese market's evolution in these sectors will reshape global automotive technology roadmaps, business architectures and competitive dynamics through the next decade. From wheels to wings and robots, China's auto industry is pioneering a smart ecosystem powered by cross-sector synergy and industrial scale. The country's eVTOL industry is approaching the threshold of mass production and scaled deployment, and its humanoid robotics are just beginning to show growth potential. "China's low-altitude economy hit its stride since last year," said Zhao Deli, founder of XPENG's flying car affiliate, Huitian. "Policy tailwinds, infrastructure rollouts and maturing supply chains are fueling growth, especially in drone logistics, air taxis and emergency services." Zhao noted that China's low-altitude tourism sector, though still small-scale due to infrastructure gaps and high costs, holds strong growth potential. Fueled by rising demand, it could become both a tourism highlight and a driver of regional economic development. "More supportive policies will energize the market, channeling greater resources into infrastructure development, investment and consumer engagement," he added.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD to add autopilot system in EVs to gain edge amid China's price war
BYD plans to offer an autopilot system in nearly all its cars, making autonomous driving affordable to all mainland Chinese customers as the world's largest electric-vehicle (EV) maker seeks a competitive edge in an escalating price war. At least 21 models - including the Seagull hatchback priced from as low as 69,800 yuan (US$9,554) - will be fitted with its indigenous advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS, which enables cars to navigate on highways and conduct self-parking, the Shenzhen-based company said on Monday. The system, known as God's Eye, "will mark a new era when all customers can access smart driving", founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu said. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The ADAS system would beat market expectations, built on 5,000 engineers' painstaking research over the past seven years, he added. BYD's announcement echoed a bullish industry projection that 15 million new cars, or two-thirds of national sales in 2025, would be fitted with a preliminary autonomous-driving system as EV makers step up their offerings to win customers and Beijing extended a subsidy programme to spur big-ticket consumption. BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu unveils the Yangwang U8 luxury SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show 2023. Photo: Handout alt=BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu unveils the Yangwang U8 luxury SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show 2023. Photo: Handout> Zhang Yongwei, general secretary of China EV100, a non-governmental organisation that counts most of the nation's top EV executives as members, said the 15 million intelligent cars would feature at least Level 2 (L2) self-driving capabilities including steering, acceleration and deceleration, but still require drivers to take control or intervene at any time. "We believe BYD's acceleration of autopilot progress will have a meaningful impact on the market given its position as industry leader," Goldman Sachs analysts Tina Hou and Sylvia Hu wrote in a research note last weekend. BYD would catch up with its rivals in terms of developing navigate-on-autopilot technologies, they added. BYD, known for its blade battery packs, builds low-priced electric cars that resonate with millions of local and overseas drivers for their value-for-money appeal. Currently, most China-made cars featuring preliminary autonomous driving systems are priced above 150,000 yuan. Still, BYD has been lagging behind its domestic rivals like Xpeng and Nio in developing intelligent EVs because of its insufficient experience in digital technology. That will change, Wang said. "We have been adopting a strategy - fewer words, more deeds - over the past years in our research and development," he added. "BYD has a firm belief in smart driving and has been unswervingly delving into this area." Autonomous driving is graded in five levels of sophistication. In China, most intelligent vehicles are classified as L2 or L2+ under the standards set by US-based SAE International. These levels stipulate that the driver must be alert and ready to take control at any time. The cost of an ADAS has dropped over the last two years on economy of scale and rising sales of intelligent cars in China. It now stands at about 10,000 yuan, according to Chen Jinzhu, CEO of Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service, a consultancy. It cost about twice as much three years ago, according to one estimate. Xpeng and Huawei Technologies-backed EV maker Aito are viewed as China's market leaders in self-driving. Tesla, which is expected to start testing its Full Self-Driving system on the mainland later this year, charges US$8,000 to install the system in the US, on top of a US$99 monthly subscription. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
