2026 Future Mobility Pioneers Summit Dives into Tech Deep Waters: Auto Industry Shifts Toward Systemic Competition and Value Restructuring

In 2026, China's automotive industry has entered a deep-water phase of new energy and intelligent connected vehicle development. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), domestic passenger vehicle sales in China reached 26.19 million units in 2025, with replacement purchases accounting for 13.19 million units—marking the beginning of a new cycle driven by upgrades and replacements. From January to April 2026, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles (NEVs) rose from 38% in January to 61% in April, while NEV penetration among Chinese自主品牌 brands reached 80%. China accounts for 70% of global plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales and 60% of battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Greater Bay Area Auto Show, the 4th Future Mobility Pioneers Conference was held under the theme “Ascending Step by Step,” focusing on rebuilding technical order, deepening industrial collaboration, and enhancing brand value. Organizers noted that despite NEV penetration surpassing 60%, the industry’s average profit margin has dropped to 4.1%, underscoring the urgent need to translate grand visions into verifiable and actionable pathways. Executives from automakers and tech companies emphasized that the industry is shifting from parameter-driven competition and price wars toward systematic, holistic rivalry. Xiang Xingchu, Chairman of JAC Group, stated that traditional automakers must simultaneously advance in intelligence, organizational efficiency, user operations, and global expansion. Wang Hui, Chairman of Avatr Technology, highlighted that the automotive sector’s profit margin stood at just 2.9% in January–February 2026, advocating a strategic pivot from “selling products” to “building strong brands” and from “competing on specs” to “competing on safety.” Xu Jun, Senior Vice President of Leapmotor, argued that the marginal returns of range-related specifications are diminishing, and users now prioritize practical, cost-effective mobility solutions—summarized as “fast, convenient, reliable, and affordable.” Zhang Zhengping, Chairman of Seres Auto, stressed that “safety is the ultimate luxury,” revealing that Aito’s intelligent driving system has already prevented over 3.54 million potential collisions and enables full-process traceability for every vehicle along with automated end-of-line testing for its ADAS systems. Li Chuanhai, Dean of Geely Automobile Research Institute, outlined four key imperatives: “innovation upward, intelligence upward, brand upward, and globalization upward.” He introduced Geely’s comprehensive AI strategy and its “2030 Lab,” predicting that embodied intelligence will become pivotal in defining closed-loop commercial models. Li Bin, CEO of NIO, asserted that the industry has moved beyond a period of brand ambiguity into one of brand clarification, where systemic capabilities are now the core competitive differentiator. Zhuang Mude, Head of R&D at Mercedes-Benz China, noted that software-defined vehicles are reshaping relationships between OEMs and their supply chains, with future competitiveness increasingly dependent on system integration and long-term engineering prowess. Wang Lang, Vice President of Chery, called for a shift away from low-level internal competition toward upgrading value, user experience, and cross-sector collaboration. In the second half of the intelligent transformation era, Zhou Guang, CEO of DeepRoute.ai, predicted that physics-based AI foundation models will deliver a tenfold leap in capability, targeting delivery of over one million urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) systems in 2026. Wang Tan, Vice President of XPeng AeroHT, unveiled the world’s first mass-produced flying car, the “Land Aircraft Carrier,” alongside XPeng’s dedicated flying car production line in the Greater Bay Area, stating that AI and electrification are expanding the physical boundaries of automobiles. Lu Chuanhua, Vice President of Yanfeng International, proposed that intelligent cockpits will evolve around “four freedoms”—spatial flexibility, interaction, comfort, and health/safety—and that suppliers adopting a “Tier 0.5” model will deeply engage in early-stage vehicle definition. The conference concluded with a shared understanding: the automotive industry has transcended competition centered solely on individual products and entered a deeper phase of strategic contestation encompassing energy networks, urban mobility ecosystems, industrial chain synergy, and even the reconfiguration of societal structures. “Ascending step by step” does not mean chasing speed, but rather clarifying direction—steadily reinforcing foundations in this technological deep water to drive sustainable industrial progress.