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Jul 1
China loosens auto aftermarket rules, but Taiwan firms are holding their ground in the US

China's latest policy to expand auto aftermarket consumption stands to reshape demand for parts, repairs, and modifications at home, yet its implications extend far beyond its borders. For global suppliers, the move highlights a fast-changing market where local competition is intense, even as export-oriented manufacturers continue to focus on the larger, more mature US market.

Taiwan's major precision parts maker Eurocharm Holdings is forecasting a record-breaking 2026, driven by robust North American SUV-related demand, a structural shift toward electric scooters in Vietnam, and early traction in a new server rack business expected to become a key growth driver from 2027. The company expects full-year revenue to approach NT$9 billion (approx. US$281.9 million) as its diversified order base strengthens across automotive, powersports, and electronics segments.

Excellence Optoelectronics Inc. (EOI) expects double-digit growth in 2026 from a strong 2025 base, supported by robust automotive lighting module shipments to North American automakers, new Mexico capacity, and a planned expansion into AI humanoid robot supply chains.

The global auto industry is facing a sharper supply chain shock from trade policy, as the US, Canada, and Mexico begin a mandatory review of the USMCA, and post-Brexit sourcing rules tighten in Europe. Automakers are being forced to weigh higher costs, shifting tariffs, and growing uncertainty across two major markets.
Hotai Motor has cut its 2026 Taiwan auto market forecast, signaling softer demand may linger after tariff-related weakness in the first half. The move matters beyond Taiwan because shortages of hybrids, electric vehicles, and US-made models continue to shape availability and pricing for global buyers, automakers, and suppliers.
Taiwan's auto market posted a strong rebound in June 2026, signaling firmer demand in a key Asian economy watched by global carmakers. Registrations rose sharply in the month and year, led by Toyota's steady performance and a surge in Tesla deliveries that reshaped the local ranking.
Gus Technology has named Hota Group president Kuo-jung Shen as chairman after a June 30 shareholders' meeting, underscoring a deeper push into batteries, electric mobility, and energy systems. The move could shape supply chains serving vehicle makers, AI data centers, and industrial users as demand for backup power and high-performance batteries expands globally.
Taiwan's auto industry has begun to recover as recent clarity around US tariff policy eased months of pressure on manufacturers, dealers and aftermarket parts exporters, executives said. The shift, reported in late June, allowed delayed parts imports and new-car assembly schedules to resume, enabling factories and dealers to reconfigure production and prepare for the traditional sales peak in the second half of the year.

Honda Motor has begun producing data-center batteries at an Ohio factory originally built to supply electric vehicles, as automakers and battery suppliers seek new uses for capacity while EV demand cools.

Amid the ongoing AI race between the US and China, industry players in South Korea are now focusing on physical AI as a competitive factor, with manufacturing momentum as a core advantage, according to Park Min-woo, head of Hyundai Motor's Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) division and CEO of 42dot.

BYD plans to install its first in-house smart-driving chip in a Denza production model in 2027, marking a key step in the Chinese automaker's push to extend vertical integration from electrification into intelligent driving.

Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, Haikun, has entered submergence testing and is on track to be handed over to the navy in the second half of 2026, state-owned shipbuilder CSBC Corp. Taiwan said at a shareholders' meeting.