{"id":4081,"date":"2026-04-24T09:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T09:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/foreign-car-companies-use-technology-to-hang-onto-china-auto-market\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T09:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T09:36:23","slug":"foreign-car-companies-use-technology-to-hang-onto-china-auto-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/foreign-car-companies-use-technology-to-hang-onto-china-auto-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign car companies use technology to hang onto China auto market"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"RegularArticle-ArticleBody-5\" data-module=\"ArticleBody\" data-test=\"articleBody-2\" data-analytics=\"RegularArticle-articleBody-5-2\"><span class=\"HighlightShare-hidden\" style=\"top:0;left:0\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"InlineImage-imageEmbed\" id=\"ArticleBody-InlineImage-108296711\" data-test=\"InlineImage\">\n<div class=\"InlineImage-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>A journalist films Xiaomi SU7 Ultra cars during a Xiaomi track day driving experience in Tianjin, in northern China on April 23, 2026, ahead of the Beijing Auto Show which opens on April 24. (Photo by GREG BAKER \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>BEIJING \u2014 Foreign automakers are finally catching up with their Chinese rivals on technology, as they battle a sales slump in the world&#8217;s largest car market.<\/p>\n<p>U.S., Korean and German automakers rushed to announce a new lineup of models for China around the Beijing auto show that kicked off Friday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have plans to really build this brand and return [to] where we used to be in terms of volume and [market] share,&#8221; Will Stacy, vice president, Cadillac China at <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-1\">General Motors<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>, told CNBC&#8217;s Eunice Yoon.<\/p>\n<p>Cadillac on Wednesday announced its first car with driver-assist technology for China: a three-row &#8220;luxury&#8221; electric SUV, priced at 468,000 yuan ($68,000) and 508,800 yuan. <\/p>\n<p>Called the VISTIQ, the vehicle uses advanced driver assist software that can handle highways and city roads, as well as automatic parking. The tech was co-developed with Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been mostly an ICE [internal combustion engine] brand here in China, and with this vehicle that enables us to enter the game here in China,&#8221; Stacy said. He said sourcing locally in China allows Cadillac to compete effectively with its local rivals \u2014 cutting production time to 18 months \u2014 while the brand aims to attract customers with a promise of trust on safety. <\/p>\n<p><span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-4\">Hyundai<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> officially launched its all-electric IONIQ brand in China on Friday as the Korean automaker kicks off its most ambitious local expansion to date.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;China is where the future of mobility is being defined, and Hyundai intends to help define it, in China, for China, and ultimately, for the world,&#8221; Jos\u00e9 Mu\u00f1oz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said in a release.<\/p>\n<p>Mu\u00f1oz added in an interview with CNBC&#8217;s Eunice Yoon that as China has fallen from 17% to 4% of Hyundai&#8217;s total sales, the automaker had to &#8220;reimagine the strategy.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Hyundai&#8217;s new IONIQ V also comes with advanced driver-assist co-developed with Momenta, and offers voice-control functions using an AI assistant that runs on a <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-5\">Qualcomm<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> Snapdragon 8295 chipset.<\/p>\n<p>Mu\u00f1oz told CNBC that Hyundai could export the brand to Asia-Pacific, Australia and the Middle East if sales in China do well.<\/p>\n<p>Hyundai&#8217;s China sales in March were about a third of what they were in the same month in 2019, before the pandemic. A number of other foreign carmakers have also seen sales drop over the same period. Figures compiled by CNBC suggest <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-6\">Nissan<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> sales in China in March were down 47% on March 2019, while Cadillac fell 39%.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad to see that these foreign brands are humble enough and recognize the value of the Chinese tech that they&#8217;re incorporating it,&#8221; said Stephen Dyer, partner and managing director and head of AlixPartners&#8217; Asia automotive and industrials consulting practice.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s less optimistic that the foreign brands can win back significant market share in China, but said they have an opportunity to bring technology from China to their home markets.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think the technology &#8230; will disseminate throughout the world,&#8221; Dyer said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think you can keep it locked up in the bottle of China. I think it&#8217;s already gone out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"ArticleBody-subtitle\">Cars with personality<\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>German automaker <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-7\">Volkswagen<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which is also embarking on its most ambitious China product campaign, announced Tuesday that it will begin rolling out AI-powered voice command in its cars in China starting in the second half of the year. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The car should be like a companion,&#8221; Volkswagen China CTO Thomas Ulbrich said. <\/p>\n<p>He said the company&#8217;s in-car AI agent would draw on tech from <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-9\">Tencent<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-10\">Alibaba<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-11\">Baidu<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>, among others, to create a tool with &#8220;personality&#8221; that can anticipate a driver&#8217;s needs.<\/p>\n<p>Volkswagen revealed four cars in Beijing on Tuesday, including the ID. UNYX 09, which the company said it co-developed with EV maker <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-12\">Xpeng<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> in two years.<\/p>\n<p>The German automaker has built a research and development center in Hefei where it can manage the entire production process. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-relatedContent\" id=\"RegularArticle-RelatedContent-1\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-container\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-nonCollapsibleContent\">\n<h2 class=\"RelatedContent-header\">Read more electric car stories<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>Hyundai and its local state-owned partner BAIC had committed 8 billion yuan to a joint venture as of December 2024. <\/p>\n<p>The venture, Beijing Hyundai, plans to introduce 20 new models in China over the next five years. The cars include the new IONIQ V, and another SUV in the first half of 2027 \u2014 with the goal of 500,000 sales annually.<\/p>\n<p>China market leader <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-13\">BYD<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span> recorded sales of 688,993 in China in the first three months of 2026, though that marked a 30% drop on the same period in 2025. BYD sold 2.26 million battery-powered cars globally last year, exceeding <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-16\">Tesla<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>&#8216;s 1.64 million vehicle sales.<\/p>\n<p>On average, 10 to 15 cars launch in China in the span of about a month, which means automakers &#8220;need to remain relevant and fresh&#8221; for customers who face many choices, Ivan Espinosa, president and CEO of Nissan, told CNBC&#8217;s Elaine Yu.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The fact that we have established dealers with established experience, good relationships and good service for them, this is also starting to become more and more important,&#8221; Espinosa said.<\/p>\n<p>Nissan plans to launch five new energy vehicles utilizing plug-in electric technology in the next 12 months. <\/p>\n<p>The Japanese automaker has a joint venture with China&#8217;s <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-17\">Dongfeng<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>, and integrated DeepSeek AI capabilities into its N7 electric sedan last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-test=\"WildCardEmbed\">\n<div class=\"WildcardEmbed-wrapper\">\n<style><![CDATA[\n\tdiv {box-sizing: border-box;}\n\t\n\t.noselect {\n\t  -webkit-touch-callout: none; \/* iOS Safari *\/\n\t\t-webkit-user-select: none; \/* Safari *\/\n\t\t -khtml-user-select: none; \/* Konqueror HTML *\/\n\t\t   -moz-user-select: none; \/* Old versions of Firefox *\/\n\t\t\t-ms-user-select: none; \/* Internet Explorer\/Edge *\/\n\t\t\t\tuser-select: none; \/* Non-prefixed version, currently\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  supported by Chrome, Edge, Opera and Firefox *\/\n\t}\n\t\n\t#tcc-wrapper {width: 100%; max-width: 620px; min-width: 300px; cursor: pointer; display: block;}\n\t\n\t.tcc-widget-content {\n\t\tfont-family: Proxima Nova,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;\n\t\tfont-size: 16px;\n\t\tline-height: 24px;\n\t\tfont-weight: 400; \n\t\tcolor: #000;\n\t\tpadding: 16px 0 16px 0;\n\t\twidth: 100%;\n\t\theight: auto;\n\t\tborder-top: 1px solid #cccccc;\n\t\tborder-bottom: 1px solid #cccccc;\n\t}\n\t\n\t.tcc-logo-col {\n\t\tfloat: left;\n   \t\tmargin-right: 20px;\n\t}\n\t\n\t.tcc-text-col {\n\t\t\n\t}\n\t\n\t.tcc-text a {\n\t\tcolor: #0053CF !important;\n\t\ttext-decoration: none;\n\t\tfont-weight: 600; \n\t}\n\t\n\t\n\n]]><\/style>\n<div id=\"tcc-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"tcc-widget-content\">\n<div class=\"tcc-logo-col\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"tcc-text-col\">\n<div class=\"tcc-text\">Weekly analysis and insights from Asia&#8217;s largest economy in your inbox<br \/>\n\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p><em>\u2014 CNBC&#8217;s Matthew Chin contributed to this report<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ArticleBody-googlePreferredSourceContainer\" data-module=\"GooglePreferredSource\" data-id=\"RegularArticle-GooglePreferredSource-5\">Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A journalist films Xiaomi SU7 Ultra cars during a Xiaomi track day driving experience in Tianjin, in northern China on April 23, 2026, ahead of the Beijing Auto Show which opens on April 24. (Photo by GREG BAKER \/ AFP via Getty Images) Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING \u2014 Foreign automakers are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1071,893,394,252,2457,495,285,3076],"class_list":["post-4081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-auto","tag-car","tag-china","tag-companies","tag-foreign","tag-hang","tag-market","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.finznest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}