As advances in artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate, the global auto industry is transforming any in its history. Jheng-Jian Wang, chairman of Taiwan's Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), said the car of the future will no longer be merely a means of transportation, but a "mobile living space" capable of reasoning and decision-making. At the center of this shift, he said, are two technologies: the smart cockpit and end-to-end AI driving systems.
In August 2025, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD announced plans to build a completely knocked-down (CKD) assembly plant at the KLK Technology Park in Tanjung Malim, Malaysia's Perak state, with operations expected to begin in 2026.
While much of the world's attention remains fixed on robotaxis navigating open roads, David Shen, chief executive of Turing Drive, argues that the true commercial breakthrough for autonomous driving may lie elsewhere, in what he calls "specialized environments," such as factories, ports, and rural regions.
In China's vast auto market, foreign brands — and the joint ventures they once dominated — have been steadily overtaken by domestic rivals. Market share has eroded for years, forcing global carmakers to pivot strategically: embrace Chinese design, technology, and consumer sensibilities. The upcoming Beijing Auto Show is set to showcase that transformation, as a wave of foreign models infused with a distinctly "Chinese soul" debuts in a bid to reclaim lost ground.
Samsung SDI has signed a multi-year agreement to supply electric vehicle (EV) batteries to Mercedes-Benz, marking its first confirmed entry into the German luxury carmaker's EV lineup and concluding months of advanced negotiations over one of the industry's most closely watched battery deals.
Taiwanese automotive electronics leader E-Lead Electronic is reshaping the future of smart cockpits through a combination of deep technological reinvention and production restructuring, as it positions itself as a full-spectrum systems supplier in an increasingly fragmented global supply chain.
Stellantis and Microsoft announced a five-year strategic partnership on April 16 to co-develop AI, cybersecurity, and engineering capabilities.
Stepping into the halls of the 360° Mobility Mega Shows, one is struck not by the usual crush of visitors but by the relative calm. The thinner crowds this year underscore a deeper unease: as the global supply chain enters a more fraught phase of realignment, Taiwan's automotive industry finds itself at an awkward crossroads. On one side lie rising raw material costs and mounting tariff pressures shaped by geopolitics; on the other, the costly yet unavoidable push toward AI-driven automation. Even as the global auto market shows signs of post-pandemic recovery, for many Taiwanese suppliers the road ahead feels more punishing than expected.
The annual "360°MOBILITY Mega Shows," a major gathering for the auto parts and mobility industry, opens on the 14th, drawing heightened attention to the growing role of Taiwan's suppliers in next-generation automotive technology. As software-defined vehicles (SDVs) emerge as a central industry direction, the share of automotive semiconductors and software in vehicle development is rising rapidly, according to a DIGITIMES Research report.
Qualcomm said it was expanding its partnership with Bosch in automotive electronics, broadening a collaboration that had previously focused on in-vehicle cockpit systems to now include advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
China's auto market entered the year with a sharp jolt. In the first quarter, the long-dominant new energy vehicle (NEV) segment saw its market share slip to 45.1%, down from 47.7% in 2025, while sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) also contracted. The shift suggests that as Beijing scales back subsidies and tightens oversight to curb dumping, the market is reverting to more disciplined commercial dynamics.
