According to a report in the Shanghai Securities News, Xiaomi’s automobile production facility in Tongzhou, China has entered the final stages of production testing and debugging. Xiaomi Group’s Chairman, Lei Jun, has recently led the senior executives of Xiaomi’s automotive division in conducting summer road tests in Xinjiang to expedite the commencement of mass production for their new vehicles once they secure the necessary approvals.

The entire facility encompasses six workshops, including die casting, stamping, body assembly, painting, final assembly, and battery assembly. In the casting workshop, the signage for “Xiaomi Super Die Casting” has been displayed, indicating the possibility that Xiaomi’s automotive division may adopt advanced integrated die-casting technology similar to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory.

As previously disclosed, Xiaomi’s automotive subsidiary, with a registered capital of 10 billion RMB, is headquartered in Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, with Lei Jun as its legal representative. According to Lei Jun’s plan, Xiaomi’s first vehicle will be positioned in the mid-to-high-end segment and is expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2024. As of the end of 2022, Xiaomi’s automotive research and development team has grown to over 2,300 personnel, with more than 700 patent applications and over 360 authorized patents. The production of their first vehicle has been moved up to Q1 2024, with a strategic goal of achieving a top-five global automotive ranking within 15 to 20 years.

(Photo credit: Xiaomi)

According to Taiwan media, UDN, an insider close to Xiaomi’s automotive venture, Xiaomi’s car project is currently in the trial production phase, which has been underway for less than a month. Currently, Xiaomi is producing approximately 50 prototype cars per week.

As reported by Interface News, trial production is one of the most crucial steps before mass production. It allows for testing the smooth operation of production line equipment, process integration, worker proficiency, and comprehensive product quality checks. If issues arise during the testing of the prototypes, they will be investigated and production lines will be fine-tuned accordingly. Conversely, if the prototypes perform well in testing, it demonstrates that the production lines are generally qualified for large-scale production.

A senior figure in the automotive industry stated that the trial production phase for a new car model typically takes around four months, with full production capacity being reached in six months to a year. However, these timelines may vary based on sales demand and production line adjustments.

Reuters reported that Xiaomi’s electric car production application has already received approval from China’s government, with the next step awaiting relevant approvals from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Insiders suggest that Xiaomi’s car project is expected to receive MIIT approval in the next two months, with the latest approval likely to be granted by year-end. Once approved, Xiaomi can commence mass production.

Currently, Xiaomi’s car factory in Beijing’s Yizhuang district is actively recruiting workers on a large scale, aiming to hire around 100 employees. The average salary is between 6,000 and 7,000 Chinese yuan per month, with an 8-hour workday and weekends off, allowing for flexible start dates.

A recruitment service provider for Xiaomi’s car factory revealed that the hiring criteria for permanent employees are stringent. Candidates without relevant experience have a slim chance of success, and even workers with previous experience at companies like Mercedes-Benz or Tesla may be eliminated due to insufficient interview preparation. The majority of positions have an age limit of under 28, with a minimum educational requirement of completing a vocational school or higher. Exceptional candidates may have some flexibility in these requirements.

The same supplier also mentioned that this recruitment phase is just the initial preparation for Xiaomi’s car project. Towards the end of the year or early next year, Xiaomi’s car factory will undergo a much larger-scale recruitment effort. During that time, the working hours and rest schedule at Xiaomi’s car factory may see corresponding adjustments.

Xiaomi Group’s President recently stated during a Q2 financial report meeting that Xiaomi’s automotive venture has just completed its summer testing, and progress has been exceptionally smooth. Xiaomi’s goal of commencing mass production in the first half of 2024 remains unchanged. As of now, the automotive project is progressing exceptionally well, surpassing initial expectations and plans.

(Source: https://money.udn.com/money/story/5603/7421576)

According to the news from Chinatimes, Tesla, the leading electric vehicle manufacturer in the United States, achieved a record-breaking delivery volume of 466,140 units in the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, Chinese electric car companies like NIO and BYD have made strides in the European market, increasing their sales market share from 4% in 2021 to 6% in 2022, and now reaching an impressive 8% in early 2023.

The Biden administration’s implementation of the IRA Act is expected to drive a significant increase in sales for Tesla and other EV manufacturers. It is projected that the annual growth rate for EV sales in the U.S. could potentially reach 49% this year. In China, the growth is mainly attributed to the continuation of the government’s policy of exempting consumers from purchase taxes. The estimated growth rate for Chinese EV sales this year is around 26%. In Europe, there is optimism for countries like Germany, France, and the UK, where EV penetration is currently only at around 20%. There is potential for a 37% increase in sales this year in these regions.

According to the market insider says the global EV market has witnessed fierce competition in 1H23, with major manufacturers engaging in price wars to capture market share. For instance, Tesla’s best-selling EV, the Model Y, sold 889,000 units in 1H23, accounting for around 49.38% of the total annual sales of 1.8 million units. BYD, the top-selling electric car manufacturer in China, sold 1.2556 million units in the first half of the year, achieving 41.85% of its annual target of 3 million units. Another emerging Chinese EV brand, Li Auto, also achieved a sales target rate of nearly 50% in 1H23.

Leading electric vehicle manufacturers globally, including Tesla from the United States and NIO and BYD from China, have successfully increased their sales through a series of price reduction strategies and aggressive expansion into international markets. While short-term price reductions might impact profit margins and stock prices, the long-term outlook is promising. As these manufacturers enhance their market share, potentially even achieving “super dominance” in the market rankings, the excess market share can contribute to their competitive advantage and long-term profitability, enabling them to tap into other revenue streams beyond high market share dividends.

The market forecast indicates that electric vehicle sales in 2023 could surge to 13.32 million units, representing a growth rate of over 30% compared to 2022. The driving forces behind this growth remain centered in the United States, China, and the European countries including Germany, the UK, and France. (Image credit: BYD)

(Source: https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20230829001265-260410?ctrack=pc_main_rtime_p03&chdtv)

In the face of adversities within the autonomous vehicle market, car manufacturers are not hitting the brakes. Rather, they’re zeroing in, adopting more focused and streamlined strategies, deeply rooted in core technologies.

Eager to expedite the mass-scale rollout of Robotaxis, Tesla recently announced an acceleration in the development of their Dojo supercomputer. They are now committing an investment of $1 billion and set to have 100,000 NVIDIA A100 GPUs ready by early 2024, potentially placing them among the top five global computing powerhouses.

While Tesla already boasts a supercomputer built on NVIDIA GPUs, they’re still passionate about crafting a highly efficient one in-house. This move signifies that computational capability is becoming an essential arsenal for automakers, reflecting the importance of mastering R&D in this regard.

HPC Fosters Collaboration in the Car Ecosystem

According to forecasts from TrendForce, the global high-performance computing(HPC) market could touch $42.6 billion by 2023, further expanding to $56.8 billion by 2027 with an annual growth rate of over 7%. And it is highly believed that the automotive sector is anticipated to be the primary force propelling this growth.

Feeling the heat of industry upgrades, major automakers like BMW, Continental, General Motors, and Toyota aren’t just investing in high-performance computing systems; they’re also forging deep ties with ecosystem partners, enhancing cloud, edge, chip design, and manufacturing technologies.

For example, BMW, who’s currently joining forces with EcoDataCenter, is currently seeking to extend its high-performance computing footprint, aiming to elevate their autonomous driving and driver-assist systems.

On another front, Continental, the leading tier-1 supplier, is betting on its cross-domain integration and scalable CAEdge (Car Edge framework). Set to debut in the first half of 2023, this solution for smart cockpits offers automakers a much more flexible development environment.

In-house Tech Driving Towards Level 3 and Beyond

To successfully roll out autonomous driving on a grand scale, three pillars are paramount: extensive real-world data, neural network training, and in-vehicle hardware/software. None can be overlooked, thereby prompting many automakers and Tier 1 enterprises to double down on their tech blueprints.

Tesla has already made significant strides in various related products. Beyond their supercomputer plan, their repertoire includes the D1 chip, Full Self-Driving (FSD) computation, multi-camera neural networks, and automated tagging, with inter-platform data serving as the backbone for their supercomputer’s operations.

In a similar vein, General Motors’ subsidiary, Cruise, while being mindful of cost considerations, is gradually phasing out NVIDIA GPUs, opting instead to develop custom ASIC chips to power its vehicles.

Another front-runner, Valeo, unveiled their Scala 3 in the first half of 2023, nudging LiDAR technology closer to Level 3, and laying a foundation for robotaxi(Level 4) deployment.

All this paints a picture – even with a subdued auto market, car manufacturers’ commitment to autonomous tech R&D hasn’t waned. In the long run, those who steadfastly stick to their tech strategies and nimbly adjust to market fluctuations are poised to lead the next market resurgence, becoming beacons in the industry.

For more information on reports and market data from TrendForce’s Department of Semiconductor Research, please click here, or email Ms. Latte Chung from the Sales Department at lattechung@trendforce.com

(Photo credit: Tesla)

According to a report by TechNews, it’s widely known that Apple has been quietly working on a not-so-secretive project known as “Project Titan,” which is centered around the development of the Apple Car. As per Autoevolution, the Apple Car might become the first vehicle to feature a Micro LED display. At the same time, TrendForce’s latest research indicates that Micro LED displays are set to become widely adopted in the automotive industry during the latter half of this century.

However, the exact unveiling date of the Apple Car remains unconfirmed. The most recent speculation suggests that this electric vehicle model could be launched in 2025 or 2026.

Apple has long aimed to incorporate Micro LED technology into its products. Initially, it was thought that the Apple Watch would be the first Apple product to adopt a Micro LED display. However, due to supply chain adjustments, the transition of the Apple Watch from OLED to Micro LED might be delayed until 2026, while Apple initially planned to introduce Micro LED technology to its watches by 2025.

Although the timeline for Micro LED introduction in the Apple Watch has been pushed to 2026, that year might witness widespread Micro LED adoption across various Apple products, including headsets, smartphones, and automotive applications.

Once Micro LED technology finds its way into the Apple Car, it’s expected to trigger emulation within the automotive industry, leading to the widespread integration of Micro LED technology in future vehicle models. TrendForce suggests that car manufacturers in Europe, America, and Japan show considerable enthusiasm for adopting Micro LED.

But what benefits does Micro LED bring to automotive applications? It’s understood that Micro LED can reduce power consumption, enhance brightness, and offer reliability. Considering the significant performance improvements and the push toward electric vehicles, once Micro LED’s benefits are demonstrated in automotive contexts, car manufacturers are expected to embrace it on a large scale.

However, the exact launch date of the Apple Car remains uncertain. While there were earlier speculations of a possible 2025 release, insiders now suggest Apple has pushed the launch to 2026. Though Apple initially had ambitious goals for Project Titan, the first Apple Car might adopt a more traditional design than initially envisioned, including features like a steering wheel and pedals.

Rumors suggest Apple’s ultimate goal for the Apple Car is to transform the cabin into a living room-like environment, with the aim of removing the steering wheel and pedals to achieve full self-driving capabilities. However, the initial Apple Car might showcase limited autonomous driving features and share design similarities with existing Tesla models.

(Photo credit: AUO)