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Nio Reports 81% Surge in Smart Driving Usage After 2026 World Model Update

Nio has recorded a significant spike in adoption of its autonomous driving capabilities following a major software overhaul, validating the Chinese electric vehicle maker's strategic shift toward a new AI architecture known as the “World Model.” Data released by the Shanghai-based automaker shows that in the first

Chinese AI Models Overtake US in Weekly OpenRouter Usage for Second Straight Week

Chinese large language models extended their lead over US rivals on OpenRouter, with weekly usage climbing to 4.69 trillion tokens in the week from March 9 to March 15, up 11.83% from the prior week, according to the platform’s latest data. US models recorded 3.294 trillion

Nio-Backed Weineng Battery Asset Adds RMB 9.8 Billion Battery Asset Project in Wuhan’s Optics Valley

Wuhan Weineng Battery Asset has signed an agreement with the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone to build a battery “new infrastructure” project with total investment of RMB 9.8 billion (US$1.4 billion), according to an update from “China Optics Valley” on March 12. The deal marks

AWE 2026 Signals China Appliances’ AI Pivot as Sales Slide and Brands Chase Replacement Demand

China’s biggest appliance show ended with a paradox: AWE 2026 was packed with AI robots, smart glasses and “appliance-as-agent” demos, while the core domestic home-appliance market is shrinking—forcing makers from Haier to Gree to use AI to defend pricing, deepen distribution and manufacture a new

Geely Galaxy Unveils M7 With 225 km EV Range, Pushing Plug-In Hybrids Toward “EV-First” Use

Geely Galaxy, the mass-market new-energy arm of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., is raising the bar for plug-in hybrids in China by launching the Galaxy M7 with a claimed 225-kilometer electric-only range—an escalation that targets the last durable advantage of gasoline cars: long-distance convenience

ByteDance Halts Seedance 2.0 Global Launch After Hollywood Copyright Pressure

ByteDance has paused plans to roll out its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator globally, a sharp reminder that the fastest-moving frontier in generative media is now constrained less by compute than by copyright exposure. The decision follows a burst of legal and public pushback from Hollywood groups and

China TV Expose Flags “GEO” Ad Syndicates Gaming AI Answers, Raising Compliance Risk for Model Providers

China’s annual “3·15” consumer rights broadcast has thrust a new market abuse into view: a fast-growing “GEO” service industry that claims it can pay-to-play mainstream AI models’ “standard answers,” blurring the line between marketing and misinformation and forcing AI platforms to treat content integrity as

ChinaBiz Briefing: Baidu’s AI Launch, Huawei’s OS Integration, Nio’s Cost-Cutting, Dreame’s Chip Gamble

China's top tech and EV players—Baidu, Huawei, Nio and Dreame—headline pivotal moves this week, with AI agents going mainstream on mobile, a landmark EV profit via aggressive cost cuts, bold semiconductor bets and breakthrough robotics R&D. These actions highlight China's push to

Baidu Launches “Red Finger Operator,” Bringing Cross-App AI Agents to Android Phones

Baidu has released “Red Finger Operator,” positioning it as the world’s first “mobile lobster” app that lets users command a phone to complete tasks across multiple apps via chat. The launch signals Baidu’s push to shift AI agents from PC and web environments into higher-frequency mobile use

Nio Turns a Profit by Squeezing Costs—From Paper Packs to Charging Piles and 120,000 SKUs

Nio has posted its first profit since it began selling cars eight years ago, after a sweeping campaign to cut costs, simplify its product lineup and force every team to account for spending. The electric-vehicle maker reported a Non-GAAP operating profit of RMB 1.251 billion (US$175