Source: https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250109A077EN00?suid=&media_id=
Influence Matters: This article is a translation by Influence Matters of the top ten automotive trends published in January 2025 by China Automotive News, a leading automotive industry news organization covering all things about cars, EVs, and the technology that powers them.
These trends reflect the dynamic changes and innovations shaping the automotive industry in China, offering valuable insights for stakeholders worldwide.
2025 marks the final year of the “14th Five-Year Plan.” Although China’s automotive industry faces multiple challenges, it also holds immense potential for growth, ready to bloom from the soil and usher in new beginnings from the depths of winter. From manually shaping car bodies to joint ventures for technological learning, the development of China’s automotive industry has a history of over 70 years. Today, the industry can proudly declare, “We are already at the forefront of the world,” particularly in leading new technological revolutions and their applications in the automotive sector.
Previously, the China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE) focused on the “Roadmap for Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technologies 3.0” (to be released), summarizing and publishing the “Top Ten Technology Trends in China’s Automotive Industry for 2025” based on five major technology groups and 26 topics, emphasizing significant technological breakthroughs, substantial mass production, and application scaling.
Trend 1: Energy Consumption of New Energy A-Class Passenger Vehicles Will Drop Below 10 kWh per 100 km
Similar to the urgent need to reduce fuel consumption in traditional vehicles, lowering the energy consumption of new energy vehicles has become a necessity for consumers in the new era. It is also a key measure for the automotive industry to achieve energy savings and carbon neutrality. Innovations in hardware technology and optimization of software solutions can effectively reduce energy consumption and significantly enhance the driving range of new energy vehicles. The maturity of low rolling resistance, lightweight materials, efficient electric drive systems, and low-power chips is driving down energy consumption. Enhanced integration and intelligence in vehicle thermal management, combined with predictive energy management technologies, form the software foundation for significant reductions in energy consumption.
Companies like BYD, Guoxuan High-Tech, and Changan Automobile are adopting flexible printed circuit (FPC) solutions to replace traditional wiring harnesses, significantly reducing battery weight and improving battery management systems (BMS). The innovation of electronic and electrical architectures also facilitates greater integration and optimization of components, with domestically developed chips being more compatible and integrated with homegrown operating systems. By 2025, the automotive industry aims to break through critical technologies such as multi-in-one electric drive systems and intelligent energy management strategies, achieving energy consumption levels below 10 kWh per 100 km for new energy A-class passenger vehicles.
Trend 2: Cost Reduction and Quality Improvement in Onboard Intelligent Computing Platforms Will Accelerate the Development of Intelligent Driving Technologies
Onboard intelligent computing platforms provide the core computing power for intelligent driving, with performance differences being a critical factor in the level of intelligent driving. These platforms integrate multiple SoCs, supporting massive parallel data processing and complex logical functions, resulting in higher computing capabilities and energy efficiency. By optimizing hardware and software in tandem, these platforms achieve efficient resource utilization, lower power consumption, and enhanced system stability.
As of now, the onboard intelligent computing platform has achieved ultra-large storage bandwidth, supporting efficient data exchange with a computing power of over 500 TOPS. The CSAE’s “Reference Architecture 2.0 for Onboard Intelligent Computing Platforms” outlines goals including supporting heterogeneous multi-core high computing power and redundant hardware architectures, and real-time high-bandwidth communication networks. By 2025, the onboard intelligent computing platform is expected to continue optimizing costs and quality, promoting the widespread application of intelligent driving technologies across various vehicle segments.
Trend 3: Deep Integration of Intelligent Driving and Smart Chassis Will Enhance Motion Control Performance in L3 and Above Vehicles
The deep integration of intelligent driving and chassis systems is key to making autonomous vehicles safer, more comfortable, efficient, and energy-saving. This is achieved through the integration of sensors, actuators, and control strategies, enhancing the perception, decision-making, and precise control capabilities of autonomous vehicles. By improving the integration of chassis perception technologies, control algorithms, and redundant designs, the automotive industry will reshape its collaborative model.
Companies like BYD, SAIC, and Geely are already showcasing their intelligent chassis technologies. By 2025, breakthroughs in intelligent motion control technology under extreme conditions are expected, including functions like intelligent lane changes on slippery roads and automated parking without pauses.
Trend 4: Safe and Reliable Full-Domain Vehicle Operating Systems Will Enter Mass Production
As a new mass production technology, vehicle operating systems not only serve as a secure, efficient, and scalable software foundation but also support global intelligent control and decision-making. Advanced autonomous driving applications are driving the evolution of electronic and electrical architectures toward central computing. By 2025, vehicle operating systems are expected to evolve toward safe, reliable full-domain architectures, entering a new era of mass production.
Trend 5: AI-Powered Synthetic Data Will Become a Key Resource for Autonomous Driving R&D
The explosive emergence of AI technology has led to an exponential increase in the demand for training data. By leveraging generative AI and world models, high-quality synthetic data can effectively address data shortages and enhance the reliability of algorithm models, becoming a promising direction for autonomous driving training. By 2025, with the acceleration of high-level autonomous driving, AI-generated synthetic data is expected to gradually replace traditional data collection methods.
Trend 6: Intelligent and Efficient Hybrid Power Control Strategies Will Continue to Optimize and Become More Widespread
Guided by the goal of carbon neutrality, the strategy of balancing energy-saving and new energy vehicles has achieved significant success. Intelligent technology provides crucial support for unleashing the energy-saving potential of hybrid systems. By 2025, more than half of automotive companies are expected to adopt intelligent power control strategies for hybrid models.
Trend 7: EMB Technology Is Maturing and Will Soon Enter Mass Production
Electronic-mechanical brake (EMB) systems, with their simple structure, quick response, precise control, and enhanced safety, are critical for high-level autonomous driving. By 2025, EMB systems are expected to achieve small-scale mass production.
Trend 8: Multimodal Large Models Will Drive Innovations in Perception and Decision-Making for Autonomous Driving
Multimodal large models are gaining traction in the automotive industry. By 2025, improvements in these algorithms are anticipated to significantly boost the perception and decision-making capabilities of autonomous driving systems.
Trend 9: Intelligent Batteries Will Achieve Breakthroughs in Sensor Devices and Self-Healing Materials
Intelligent batteries equipped with advanced sensing and self-healing materials will become crucial in enhancing the safety and reliability of power batteries. By 2025, intelligent batteries are expected to achieve synchronous self-sensing and self-regulation.
Trend 10: Autonomous Driving Operational Safety Risk Management Systems Will Gradually Be Deployed
As autonomous vehicles prepare for market introduction, operational safety must be validated and certified before large-scale deployment. By 2025, onboard operational safety risk management systems are expected to be implemented, enhancing the safety and reliability of high-level autonomous driving and reducing accident rates.
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