BYD Hits 15M EVs as Li Auto Bets Big on Silicon Valley AI

In a landmark week for China's electric vehicle industry, BYD rolled off its 15 millionth new energy vehicle on December 18, underscoring its explosive growth with 4.18 million units sold in the first 11 months of 2025, up 11.3% year-over-year. Meanwhile, Li Auto is aggressively expanding into Silicon Valley with a new AI research center focused on advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), signaling China's EV giants are now competing head-on in global AI innovation. These moves, alongside NIO's record-breaking ES8 deliveries and CATL's robotic battery breakthroughs, highlight the sector's shift from volume to intelligent, high-tech dominance.

BYD's Milestone: 15 Million EVs and Global Momentum

BYD's achievement isn't just a number—it's a testament to China's EV supremacy. Reaching 15 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) from 10 million took just 13 months, with the Ocean Network series alone hitting 2.03 million sales, up 17.9%.

• Key Stats:

  Milestone	Timeframe	Location
  14M NEVs	Recent	Brazil factory (President Lula owns a Song Pro)
  15M NEVs	Dec 18, 2025	China
  Tengshi N8L	15,000 units	Milestone rollout

This surge positions BYD as a global leader, outpacing rivals in production scale and export reach.

Li Auto's Silicon Valley Push: Entering the Global AI Arena

Li Auto isn't standing still. On December 18, it announced a Silicon Valley AI R&D center, building on its existing North American team. This forms a 'four-base' global network: Silicon Valley for AI and autonomous driving algorithms, Munich for forward-looking tech, and Beijing/Shanghai for vehicle integration.

The center targets breakthroughs in Li Auto's VLA (Vision-Language-Action) driver model, enabling scene understanding, causal reasoning, and common-sense judgment. Amid intensifying competition from Huawei and XPeng, this move elevates Chinese EVs into a 'global AI showdown,' prioritizing talent density and core algorithms over mere sales.

NIO's ES8 Smashes Records and Innovates Sales

NIO's all-new ES8 pure-electric SUV shattered records, delivering over 30,000 units in just 89 days post-launch on September 20— the fastest for any pure EV over 400,000 RMB ($56,000). Priced at 406,800–446,800 RMB (or 298,800–338,800 RMB with battery rental), it hit 10,000 deliveries in 41 days and 20,000 in 70 days.

NIO also launched a novel 'user-owned store' model: no funding from NIO, but on-site sales support via 'Fellows.' Debuting in Guangzhou as a coffee shop-style 'NIO Workshop,' it emphasizes community-driven sales over traditional dealerships.

CATL Pioneers Humanoid Robots in Battery Production

CATL's Ningde Zhongzhou base unveiled the world's first humanoid robot-powered battery PACK line, using 'Xiao Mo' robots from partner Qianshun Intelligent. Equipped with CATL's self-developed batteries and VLA models, these robots handle high-voltage plug-ins with 99%+ success rates, tripling daily output while eliminating safety risks in EOL/DCR testing.

This scales 'embodied intelligence' in manufacturing, boosting efficiency for multi-variant, small-batch production.

Other Noteworthy Developments

• JAC Motors' All-In on Zunjie: Raising 3.5B RMB for its luxury Zunjie brand (10,000 units off-line in 200 days), JAC is consolidating channels and investing over 10B RMB, including a 39.8B RMB Hefei super-factory (20万/year capacity). Huawei's Yu Chengdong teased 2026 Zunjie SUVs/MPVs.
• Aito's Tax Subsidy Assurance: Up to 15,000 RMB purchase tax relief for M9/M8/M7/M5 orders by Dec 31, 2025, amid policy uncertainty. M9 leads 500k+ SUV sales (260k+ total) with top resale value and safety ratings (C-NCAP 5-star+, C-IASI 4G+).
• Broader AI Momentum: Musk's xAI eyes AGI by 2026 with 1M GPUs; Volcano Engine's Doubao 1.8 model hits 50T daily calls; Sugon’s scaleX 10K-card cluster exceeds 5 EFLOPS.

Why This Matters: Global Implications

China's EV ecosystem is evolving from cost leaders to AI and tech powerhouses. BYD's volume dominance pairs with Li Auto and NIO's intelligence focus, while CATL's robotics secure supply chains. Against Tesla's xAI ambitions, Chinese firms are talent-poaching in Silicon Valley and scaling domestic superclusters, pressuring Western incumbents. This intensifies the race for L4 autonomy and embodied AI, with exports like BYD's Brazilian milestone signaling a multipolar EV world.

Looking Ahead

Expect 2026 to bring Li Auto's VLA upgrades, more Zunjie models, and CATL's robot fleets across factories. With Musk targeting AGI and China's compute surging, the EV-AI fusion will redefine mobility—watch for regulatory battles over data and talent as Chinese brands challenge Tesla, Waymo, and legacy luxury.