Chinese Automakers Pivot Toward Quality-Led Growth in Chongqing

The shift toward transformative growth is particularly acute for Chongqing, a city long defined by its massive industrial output and now striving to ascend the global value chain. For Changan Automobile, that transition hinges on resolving the gap between high intelligent driving penetration and consumer trust. Vice President He Gang emphasized that the company is deploying all-weather dark-room laboratories and smart driving models to enhance stability under extreme conditions, aiming to build a more robust, three-pronged safety system.

Other manufacturers are betting on vertical integration to escape the trap of homogeneous competition. Leapmotor senior vice president Cao Li noted that the company now develops over 65 percent of its core components in-house across 18 super factories, creating a closed-loop system that prioritizes iteration efficiency and cost control. Meanwhile, Seres president He Liyang reinforced this sentiment, asserting that safety remains the industry's ultimate luxury.

Technological sovereignty also extends to powertrains. GAC Group’s Wu Jian argued that traditional overseas powertrain architectures often struggle to adapt to the requirements of modern intelligent systems. GAC has instead spent two decades developing proprietary technology for range-extended and hybrid electric vehicles tailored to local scenarios. Complementing this, local innovators like Chongqing Afari Technology are integrating large language models with native driving systems to improve causal reasoning and risk prediction. As Chinese firms eye international expansion, Bosch’s Wu Yongqiao stated that the company is actively aligning local smart driving innovations with the legal and regulatory frameworks of overseas markets to facilitate a smoother global transition.