GAC Group Plans to Issue Shares to Acquire FAW’s Stake in Joint Venture, Adjusts Qwen Partnership Model

On the evening of September 14, GAC Group issued a trading halt announcement stating that it had signed a Letter of Intent with FAW Co., Ltd. to plan the acquisition of a portion of the equity held by FAW in a "certain vehicle joint venture" through a share issuance, along with accompanying fundraising. Upon completion of the transaction, FAW will become GAC Group’s second-largest shareholder with strategic influence. The announcement did not disclose the name of the target company. On the evening of September 15, Harmony Intelligent Mobility released an official statement announcing an adjustment to the Aito brand cooperation model. Under the new arrangement, product definition, design, brand marketing, retail channels, and service systems for Aito will be led by Seres, with Huawei Device participating in enabling support. This adjustment applies only to the Aito brand; the cooperation mechanisms for Zunjie, Xiangjie, Zhijie, and Shangjie remain unchanged. Seres holds a 10% stake in Shenzhen Yinwang Company. According to informed sources, French automotive supplier Faurecia is considering selling its Clarion Electronics business and is currently working with an advisory firm to evaluate options. Potential buyers could include Japanese domestic enterprises and other Asian strategic investors. The evaluation is still at an early stage. In March 2019, Faurecia completed a full acquisition of Clarion and took it private. In March 2026, Faurecia announced the relocation of the global headquarters of Faurecia Clarion Electronics back to Japan. Also in 2026, Faurecia reached an agreement with Apollo Global Management to sell its automotive interiors business and plans to split its operations into two clusters: growth businesses and value businesses, with Clarion Electronics categorized under the value business segment. On September 17, Volkswagen Anhui announced that production of the ID. UNYX 07 model has officially resumed, with the production line now operating at full capacity. The model is built on a localized CEA electronic and electrical architecture and had previously faced production disruptions due to temporary shortages of chip components. On September 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated in a speech to the European Parliament that the EU’s merchandise trade deficit with China reached €360.6 billion (approximately USD 413.4 billion) in 2025 and expanded by 9% in the first half of 2026. According to reports on September 17, the EU has requested that China voluntarily limit exports of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), aiming to cap Chinese HEV market share in the EU at around 15%. Currently, roughly one out of every four HEVs sold in Europe comes from China, and Chinese-brand plug-in hybrid electric vehicles account for more than one-third of the European market. In response, Chinese authorities suggested directing specific inquiries to relevant competent departments and expressed hope that the EU would abide by WTO rules. According to two informed sources, XPeng Inc. plans to offer technology licensing to overseas automakers beyond its existing partner Volkswagen and has already initiated contact with several potential partners. XPeng intends to provide technical solutions including electronic/electrical architectures, cockpit systems, Turing AI chips, and advanced driver-assistance software. Potential partners may also include overseas software developers and automotive component suppliers. XPeng further plans to extend its technology licensing and customization services to Robotaxi, robotics, and other embodied intelligence application areas, and to offer Robotaxi operational deployment services. The two sources declined to disclose the names of the involved automakers or potential partners.