In a blockbuster week for China's electric vehicle industry, Huawei's Qiankun ADS secured China's first L3 autonomous driving licenses for models like the Lynk & Co Alpha S, while Deepal (Shenlan) closed a massive 6.122 billion RMB ($850 million) C-round funding led by Changan Auto. These milestones coincide with booming AI investments, Bosch's upcoming CES 2026 AI cockpit reveal, and IM Motors' first profitable month—signaling China's EVs are accelerating toward global dominance amid 2025 sales highs and 2026 L3 rollouts.
Huawei Qiankun Hits L3 Milestone Amid Parking Tech Boom
Huawei's Qiankun intelligent driving solution marked two major achievements on December 25: its "spot-to-spot 2.0" valet parking now supports over 1 million parking lots nationwide, with cumulative usage exceeding 30 million times. Equipped in 35 models across 160,000-1 million RMB price ranges, Qiankun's Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA) captured 27.8% market share in Q1-Q3 2025, rising to 53% in luxury models over 350,000 RMB.
The real breakthrough? China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) approved L3 conditional autonomous driving for Lynk & Co Alpha S (Huawei ADS-equipped) and models from Changan and BAIC BluePark. Alpha S snagged the nation's first L3 plates:京AA0001Z, 京AA0733Z, and 京AA0880Z. Deepal also earned its L3 plate, entering the L3 era with compliant, real-world deployment.
- Key Stats:
- 1M+ parking lots supported
- 30M+ usage instances
- 27.8% NCA market share (Q1-Q3 2025)
Deepal Secures $850M Funding Boost for Global Expansion
Deepal Automotive, Changan's NEV arm, finalized a 6.122 billion RMB C-round on December 25, backed by Changan (up to 3.122 billion RMB via assets and cash), Chongqing Yufu, and Zhaoyin Financial. Changan maintains 50.9959% control. With 700,000+ global deliveries across nearly 100 countries, Deepal leads as the央企 NEV sales champ, blending pure EV, range-extender, and hydrogen tech.
This infusion accelerates L3 rollout and young-user-focused smart mobility, hot on Deepal's L3 plate win.
IM Motors Celebrates 5 Years with Profit and L3 Plans
IM Motors marked its 5th anniversary with Q4 2025 sales growth, four straight months over 10,000 units, and December's first full-cost profitability. 2026 brings L3 mass production, wire-controlled chassis scaling, LS8 debut, LS6/LS9 deliveries, and major OTA updates starting January.
CMO Li Weimeng confirmed line-control steering and L3 pushes, expanding overseas.
Intelligent Chassis Leaders Shine in First Industry Report
China Automotive Engineering Research Institute's inaugural smart chassis test report (Dec 25) evaluated 10+ models across 13 scenarios and 20+ metrics like "corner blowout" and "hill-start slip." Benchmarks:
| Model | Segment | Price Range (RMB) | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangwang U7 | Sedan | 500k-700k | Tire-burst stability, smooth braking |
| NIO ES8 | SUV | 300k-500k | Road-sensing, anti-skid |
| Ji Yue R7 | SUV | 200k-300k | Active suspension adjustment |
Golding's new 177-acre factory (10B RMB investment) hit 1M OE units and 10k monthly air suspension deliveries, powering 30+ models with line-control tech.
Global AI Momentum: Bosch CES 2026 and Semiconductor Boom
Bosch previews a CES 2026 AI cockpit with Nvidia Drive AGX Orin (200 TOPS), Microsoft Foundry/365 integration for proactive assistants (e.g., auto-heating on "I'm cold"). It enables Teams calls with adaptive cruise handover.
Broader tailwinds: Bank of America forecasts $1T semiconductor revenue by 2026 (+30% YoY), AI data centers at $1.2T by 2030 (38% CAGR). Musk eyes Tesla's mission shift to "stunning abundance," predicting U.S. double-digit GDP growth via AI.
Why This Matters: China's EV Edge in Global Race
These developments underscore China's EV leadership: L3 approvals outpace rivals, funding fuels scaling, and chassis/AI innovations match Tesla/Bosch. With 700k+ Deepal deliveries and Huawei's 53% luxury penetration, Chinese brands challenge NIO, XPeng, and Zeekr globally. U.S. AI spend ($399B from top 5 firms in 2025) boosts supply chains, but tariffs loom.
Global Implications: Expect 2026 L3 ubiquity in China, pressuring Western regs. Deepal's 100-country footprint and IM's exports signal export surges amid 4.3% U.S. GDP growth.
Looking Ahead: 2026 L3 Mass Adoption
2026 promises IM L3 volume, Deepal growth, Bosch cockpits, and Vbot's BoBo robot dog public tests (13.3 km/h, 128 TOPS AI, 12,988 RMB). China's EVs, blending autonomy, chassis smarts, and funding, are set to redefine mobility—watch for OTA waves and overseas pushes.
