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Aug 11, 06:40
Europe and US IDM giants expand China EV share on capacity, tech edge
Major European and US integrated device manufactures (IDM) have faced strong competition from Chinese players within China's electric vehicle (EV) market in recent years, but many are now offering a positive outlook for their business there. In recent earnings calls, several companies said their technology lead remains difficult for local rivals to catch up with, while others said AI-related foundry-capacity bottlenecks have left some Chinese integrated circuit (IC) design firms unable to secure enough production for auto customers, allowing IDMs with in-house manufacturing to win back some market share.

Hotai Motor's all-round mobility services unit, Hotai Leasing, will officially launch its public listing on August 11. Hotai Leasing posted NT$2.7 billion (US$83.8 million) in consolidated revenue for July 2026, up 7.0% from the same period in 2025, reflecting strong profitability and a solid financial position.

Germany's car market posted only modest growth in July, but battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids surged as internal combustion engine sales fell sharply. The shift was driven in part by government subsidies, which have boosted demand for new energy vehicles and helped Chinese automakers gain ground in Europe's biggest auto market.

AI is moving from infotainment into steering, braking, and other core driving functions, raising safety questions that matter far beyond one market. Traditional testing rules are no longer enough, Irene Chuang, senior business manager for Industrial Services and Information Security at TÜV Rheinland Taiwan, said at a Taiwan industry forum, as regulators and automakers worldwide confront black-box AI risks in vehicles.

The global automobile industry has been at the cusp of a critical transition into electrification and smart technologies, and the focus of future competition in the industry will move beyond mere performance to software-hardware integration, smart applications, and the building of cross-industry ecosystems, according to Larry Chang, director of planning and research and head of automobile electrification outreach at the Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Labs (MMSL) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).
International smart vehicle rules are changing quickly, and the impact will reach automakers, suppliers, and drivers worldwide as approval moves beyond parts testing into software, cybersecurity, and full-system safety checks. The shift could raise compliance costs, but it may also accelerate the introduction of safer, more connected vehicles into global markets.

A South Korea-backed draft standard for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) has cleared a key milestone at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), giving automakers and suppliers a common technical reference as the industry shifts toward software-centric vehicle architectures.

China's auto exports climbed sharply in the first half of 2026 as the sector shifted from price-based competition to a focus on product value, according to the China Association of Automotive Manufacturers (CAAM).

From smartphones and smartwatches to emerging AI glasses, electric vehicles, autonomous driving systems, and the rapidly expanding drone industry, batteries have become the indispensable power source behind virtually every next-generation technology. More than just the "heart" of these products, batteries have also become one of the world's largest strategic growth markets.

Unlike China's automakers—whose supply chains operate with the flexibility and rapid iteration more commonly associated with the consumer electronics and ICT industries—automakers in Europe, the US, Japan, and South Korea have traditionally maintained strong bargaining power over critical components through rigorous contracts and tightly controlled supply chain management. Lithium batteries have historically been no exception.

Drones, robots and self-driving vehicles are becoming the new proving ground for artificial intelligence. Machines are taking on more decision-making themselves, rather than relying on the cloud. The reason is speed. When a system has to react in milliseconds, waiting on a round trip to external servers is not an option, whether it's avoiding a collision or detecting an unauthorized drone. Elan Microelectronics chairman I-hau Yeh says this shift, moving AI processing from edge computing directly onto the device itself, is becoming essential for unmanned systems. Few applications demand more speed and accuracy than counter-unmanned aircraft systems, or C-UAS: technology built to detect and respond to unauthorized drones.

Tesla has reportedly selected Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek to supply camera modules for the Cybercab, a move that would give the South Korean suppliers a foothold in the automaker's purpose-built robotaxi as both expand beyond smartphones into automotive and physical AI applications.