Recently, the information cited by Sina Technology indicates that during a recent internal event at Xiaomi, executives from Xiaomi’s automotive division disclosed that the team currently comprises 3700 members. Reportedly, their ambitious goal is to create a Dream Car that can compete with renowned brands like Porsche and Tesla.

According to sources, Xiaomi’s Automotive Vice President and Political Commissar of the Beijing headquarters, Yu Liguo, shared in a recent internal event at Xiaomi, saying, “Mr. Lei (Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO) often tells us that only those who understand and love cars can make good cars. I believe that among the 3,000-plus people in the automotive department, we have indeed found a group of people who truly understand and love cars.”

Yu further stated that the Xiaomi Automotive Division, established nearly three years ago, currently consists of 3,700 individuals from diverse backgrounds, all sharing a common dream – to create a Dream Car that can rival Porsche and Tesla.

Reportedly, Yu also mentioned that in certain scenarios while driving, Xiaomi’s autonomous driving tests have achieved success, surpassing the current capabilities of Tesla. Although these conditions may not be typical for autonomous driving, they reflect the capabilities of autonomous driving.

On the other hand, Lei Jun further emphasized the importance of corporate culture in the internal event. He stated that Xiaomi has clarified its goals for the new decade this year – to become the leader in the new generation of global hardcore technology. If Xiaomi is to succeed in the next decade, it must have a team capable of fighting tough battles.

He gave an example that in recent years, Xiaomi has rapidly assembled large teams, whether in the chip department or the automotive department, reaching scales of two to three thousand people in a very short time.

To quickly unite everyone as one force, is not only on strategy and motivation but also on corporate culture, which may not be visible in ordinary times, and it is only when facing difficulties, dangers, or situations that require responsibility that it can fully manifest itself.

Previously, Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi would hold a technology launch event for its car on December 28. Lei Jun revealed that the development of Xiaomi’s first car involved a total of 3,400 engineers, with the entire R&D investment exceeding CNY 10 billion. It is noteworthy that he emphasized this event would focus on technology and not product launches.

Looking at his recent teasers on Weibo, the autonomous driving technology mentioned by Yu Liguo is expected to be featured in the technology release. Additionally, there is anticipation for the debut of Xiaomi’s self-developed operating system, HyperOS, in the automotive context.

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• [News] Lei Jun States Xiaomi’s First Car Involves 3,400 Engineers with R&D Investment Exceeding RMB 10 Billion

(Photo credit: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology)

According to Chinatimes’ report, NVIDIA, the powerhouse in the AI domain, has recently announced recruitment initiatives in China, signaling an expansion of its autonomous driving team to propel the arrival of the AI-defined automotive era.

With a total of 25 positions across five departments, the focus is primarily on fields such as autonomous driving software, algorithms, and more, with job locations spanning Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

The five departments open for recruitment at NVIDIA encompass the Autonomous Driving Software Group, Autonomous Driving Platform Group, System Integration and Testing Group, Map and Simulation Group, and the Product Group.

While each department has a varying number of open positions, the collective count reaches 25. Notably, within less than a day of posting the recruitment information on LinkedIn, NVIDIA has received over 100 resumes, indicating significant interest in the roles.

According to NVIDIA’s introduction, the mission of their autonomous driving team is to design, create, and deploy the safest and most advanced artificial intelligence-driven systems for automation and autonomous vehicles.

The scope of their work spans various modes of transportation, ranging from passenger cars to commercial vehicles and robot taxis. Safety is their top priority, whether it involves simultaneously training and testing AI in data centers or performing real-time data processing in vehicles.

NVIDIA asserts that as a leader in AI and accelerated computing, their autonomous driving solutions are global in scope. They aim to collaborate with automotive manufacturers to create value for users worldwide on the journey from L2 to L4 autonomy levels.

On the other hand, the team is led by Wu Xinzhou, who resigned from his position as Vice President of Autonomous Driving at XPeng Motors in August of this year.

Wu aspires for the Chinese autonomous driving team to become a core force propelling NVIDIA’s autonomous driving products to commercialization. He envisions leveraging China’s talent pool and experience to collaboratively create globally competitive autonomous driving products.

Wu also outlined specific requirements for prospective candidates, emphasizing the need for a solid professional background, strong self-motivation, a relentless pursuit of excellence in technology and product development, alignment with NVIDIA’s diverse work environment, and excellent communication skills to engage effectively with colleagues from different backgrounds.

(Photo credit: Nvidia)

According to TechNews’ report, during its Q3 financial briefing, AU Optronics (AUO) revealed that its automotive panel revenue has surpassed 3.3 billion NTD, with expectations to exceed 4 billion NTD for the year. This signifies a growth rate of over 20%, highlighting AUO’s robust presence in the automotive panel market.

Notably, AUO has officially started shipping Human-Machine Interface (HMI) panels, accounting for over 10% of its automotive panel revenue. With strong long-term order visibility, it is anticipated that HMI Display will constitute over 40% of the automotive panel revenue by 2025, demonstrating AUO’s shift from pure automotive panels to HMI solutions. The company estimates that automotive products will contribute to 20-25% of its total revenue.

In the automotive sector, AUO has invested in intelligent cockpit solutions from companies like Adlink, Sintrones, Carota, and Cruise10. However, it currently lacks Tier1 partners in its ecosystem. The acquisition of BHTC, a German automotive supplier, is expected to enhance AUO’s global automotive footprint.

Regarding display sales, AUO noted a 2% decline in TV panel sales during Q3, but with an increase in average panel size to 50 inches, resulting in larger shipment areas. The market has adjusted to a stable state, with the best performance seen in the U.S. market, demonstrating 30% year-on-year growth.

Emerging markets, especially India, continue to show growth, while the Chinese 618 promotion was relatively subdued. Although shipment volumes have slowed, strong sales of larger panels, especially with numerous promotional events towards the year-end are expected to drive a new wave of demand.

Looking forward to next year, AUO maintains an optimistic stance, as it believes that inventory corrections are gradually stabilizing. Additionally, with the anticipation of three major events in 2024 and clients expressing their optimism, AUO is confident in expecting substantial growth for the upcoming year.

Regarding the IT panel sector, the back-to-school programs in the third quarter contributed to a portion of the demand. Customers actively prepared in the transition from the second quarter to the third quarter.

Presently, there is a visible trend of overall sales stabilizing, approaching a level close to the previous year. AUO anticipates that the fourth quarter may witness a positive year-on-year growth situation, as sales in the IT industry return to a normal trajectory. The fourth quarter is expected to yield satisfactory sales.

Looking ahead to the following year, many customers are optimistically gearing up for AI PCs, in addition to Windows system transformation requirements. If the fourth quarter sees stable demand and new products continue to captivate consumers, AUO holds a relatively optimistic outlook for the upcoming year.

AUO estimates that their total capital expenditure for the full year 2023 will be revised down to approximately 30 billion NTD. In the third quarter, their capacity availability rate is at around 80%, and they predict it will slightly decrease in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. Capital expenditure in the third quarter amounts to 900 million NTD, and the full-year capital expenditure target for this year will be adjusted down to 30 billion NTD.

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• [News] AUO and PlayNitride Sign NT$700 Million Deal for 6-inch Micro LED CoC Line in Taiwan

(Photo credit: AUO)

TrendForce reports that the global automotive market continues to blaze ahead in its vigorous expansion, with vehicle displays steering toward larger dimensions and tech-savvy cockpits. In this technological race, many panel makers are ramping up their visibility in the automotive supply chain, dreaming big to clinch a Tier 1 supplier status. Making its bold move in this dynamic landscape, AUO announced on October 2nd its complete acquisition of Germany’s Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH (BHTC), epitomizing this forward-thinking trend.

Trendforce believes AUO’s acquisition of BHTC is poised to yield rich dividends in the medium to long term for AUO’s ongoing transformation. For starters, this deal serves as AUO’s golden ticket into BHTC’s client supply chain, amplifying and fortifying its presence in the automotive market. Moreover, BHTC, already a Tier 1 auto supplier, specializes in in-car climate control and human-machine interfaces, delivering seamless system integration. For AUO, traditionally a panel purist with limited system integration prowess, this union promises a quantum leap into the integration realm, bolstering their credibility with automakers.

Concurrently, BHTC boasts a strategic factory presence in major global regions, effectively truncating the lengthy process of obtaining automotive factory certifications. This not only accelerates collaborations with local automakers across these markets but also shifts the paradigm. Traditionally, panel makers, as Tier 2 suppliers, found it challenging to directly gauge the aspirations of automakers. However, with the resources of a Tier 1 supplier now in their arsenal, opportunities for direct engagements with automakers will multiply. This is especially pivotal in understanding their vision for vehicle models and specifications 5–7 years down the line, aiding in proactive resource planning and preparation for the current phase.

Since the advent of EVs, automotive electronic technology has gained significant attention, prompting traditional automakers to reevaluate and restructure their existing supply chains. This shift became particularly pronounced during the Covid pandemic, when the industry grappled with severe shortages of automotive semiconductors. Confronted with this challenge, traditional automakers have been increasingly keen on ensuring the stability of key technologies and components. This dynamic has opened up fresh opportunities for non-traditional Tier 1 suppliers. Riding this wave, display manufacturers are aggressively amplifying the significance of automotive display segments within vehicles and aspiring to transition into Tier 1 supplier roles. Notable moves in this direction include joint ventures like Tianma partnering with HAXC, BOE’s merger with Varitronix, and CarUX’s spin-off from Innolux.

TrendForce observed that the overall automotive display market reached a significant milestone of 200 million units in 2023 and is set to continue its growth trajectory. While, in the short term, the ambition of display manufacturers to transition into Tier 1 suppliers may not dramatically impact their existing automotive display shipments, in the medium to long term, forging robust partnerships with automakers can not only secure steady orders but also boost revenues through the integration of smart automotive display modules.

For more information on reports and market data from TrendForce’s Department of Display Research, please click here, or email Ms. Grace Li from the Sales Department at graceli@trendforce.com

Source to China Times, despite the intense price wars engulfing the Chinese automotive market, domestic electric vehicle leader BYD is continuing to gain ground. In the third quarter of this year, BYD’s production volumes surpassed Tesla’s, making it the global leader in electric vehicle production. In terms of sales, BYD sold a total of 431,600 pure electric vehicles in the first three quarters of the year, just slightly behind Tesla, bringing it closer to the top spot in global electric vehicle sales.

According to reports from Chinese media on the 3rd of this month, BYD recently released its latest production and sales data. In September of this year, BYD produced approximately 280,000 new energy vehicles, representing a 36.6% increase compared to the same period last year.

TrendForce’s recent research showed that BYD surpassed Ford to become the fourth-largest global car brand in terms of car sales for August. Despite the weakening demand in the domestic car market, BYD was not significantly affected as all of its offerings are new energy vehicles. BYD saw a 5% increase in car sales compared with July and was just 0.1 percentage point behind Honda in market share, which held the third position.

It’s important to note that the term “new energy vehicles” in China includes plug-in hybrid vehicles and fully battery-electric vehicles. Regarding pure electric vehicles, BYD produced around 144,000 units in September, marking a 71% year-on-year increase. In the third quarter, BYD produced approximately 440,000 pure electric vehicles, which is a 67% increase compared to the previous year, establishing it as the largest manufacturer and seller of pure electric vehicles in China.

In contrast, Tesla, which exclusively produces pure electric vehicles, manufactured approximately 430,500 units in the third quarter of this year, marking an 18% year-on-year increase. Data indicates that in terms of production for that quarter, BYD has secured the title of the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.

In terms of sales, BYD achieved a new record with 822,100 units of new energy vehicles sold in the third quarter of this year.

Specifically, BYD sold around 431,600 pure electric vehicles, representing a 23% increase from the second quarter, with 151,200 units sold in September, marking a 59% year-on-year increase. Tesla delivered 435,100 units in the third quarter, a decrease of more than 31,000 units compared to the previous quarter, marking its first decline since the second quarter of last year.

This narrows the gap between Tesla and BYD to 3,456 units, the closest it has been in their ongoing competition. Analysts point out that over the past year, BYD has aggressively expanded into new overseas markets such as Southeast Asia, Japan, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, leading to a continuous increase in deliveries. In contrast, Tesla faced production line adjustments and factory shutdowns, resulting in its first-quarter decline in deliveries in over a year, further closing the sales gap.

In recent years, with the Chinese government’s support and encouragement of car purchases, China has become the world’s largest market for pure electric vehicles, accounting for about 33% of global sales, and the market demand remains strong. Given BYD’s competitive advantage in the Chinese market, surpassing Tesla in both production and sales is not an impossible feat.

On the other hand, Tesla, despite initiating a price war successfully earlier this year in China, sacrificed its previously leading profit margins and now faces fierce competition not only from BYD but also from other peers like NIO in an increasingly competitive market. Even in its home market in the United States, Tesla must contend with competition from established automakers such as Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, and Volkswagen.

(Source: https://www.ctee.com.tw/news/20231004700119-439901)