Core Viewpoint - Cathay Securities initiates coverage on Cao Cao Mobility (02643) with a "Buy" rating, highlighting its profitability through Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization and potential for valuation increase due to its autonomous driving strategy backed by Geely [1] Group 1: Market Position and Financial Performance - Cao Cao Mobility holds the second-largest market share in China's ride-hailing market, with shares of 8.8% and 8.5% in core first and second-tier cities respectively [1] - The company is projected to achieve revenues of 14.657 billion RMB in 2024, with a year-on-year growth rate exceeding 35% for the past two years [1] - The gross margin has seen a "three-year consecutive jump," with profitability expected to reach 809 million RMB in 2024, and the company is anticipated to enter a phase of synchronized expansion in profitability and business scale by 2026 [1] Group 2: Cost Reduction and Differentiated Growth - The company has established a commercial moat centered around a "customized vehicle strategy," reducing TCO to approximately 0.5 RMB per kilometer [2] - As a part of Geely's ecosystem, the company benefits from stable low-cost production capacity and a high-density battery swap network, while also leveraging vast real-world data to enhance smart driving algorithms [2] - This "manufacturing + platform + data" internal closed-loop model provides significant advantages in operational efficiency, vehicle durability, and compliance risk management compared to traditional light-asset models [2] Group 3: Strategic Upgrades and Future Goals - The company is transitioning from the "N-cube" to the "F-cube" strategy, focusing on fully intelligent customized vehicles, autonomous driving, and automated operational systems [3] - With the technological support from Geely's "Thousand-Mile Smart Driving," the company plans to launch L4-level Robotaxi customized models by 2026 [3] - The company has set a global strategic goal of "Ten Years, Hundred Cities, Thousand Billion," indicating its ambition to reshape the industry's profitability ceiling through Robotaxi [3]