Core Insights - The report highlights that the Chinese automotive industry is entering the mid-to-late stage of the electric and intelligent transformation, characterized by the coexistence of traditional fuel vehicles, electric intelligent vehicles, and future industries represented by autonomous driving. This necessitates a layered and structured investment approach based on the different stages of these industry curves [2][3]. Trend Summaries Trend 1: Scrap Gap Provides Long-term Space, Trade-in Policies Expected to Normalize - The Chinese automotive market has stabilized at an annual sales level of 31 million units, with a substantial vehicle ownership base of 350 million units, laying the groundwork for future updates. The annual scrappage volume is still significantly lower than new car sales, leading to an expanding replacement gap. The "trade-in" policy is expected to evolve from a temporary stimulus to a normalized tool, enhancing the precision of policies to support domestic demand and industrial production [2][13][27]. Trend 2: New Forces Drive China's Automotive Exports to a New Structural Upgrade Stage - China's automotive exports have entered a high-growth phase, achieving several-fold growth over four years. The export structure has undergone profound changes, with a significant increase in the penetration of new energy vehicles. New force car manufacturers are enhancing China's brand premium and technological image in the global market through high-value product exports [2][30][34]. Trend 3: "Mass Market Pure Electric + High-end Range Extender" Trend Continues to Deepen - With the penetration rate of new energy vehicles surpassing 50%, market demand is showing structural differentiation. In the mass market under 200,000 yuan, the 800V high-voltage platform significantly improves charging efficiency, driving pure electric growth to outpace plug-in hybrids and range extenders. In the high-end market above 300,000 yuan, the "large battery long-range range extender" remains the mainstream solution for full-size SUVs/MPVs [2][3]. Trend 4: The "Late Mass Market" Phase Will Continue to Strengthen the Matthew Effect - The industry is transitioning from the "early mass market" to the "late mass market" phase, where consumers prioritize brand endorsement, after-sales support, and residual value certainty. This pragmatic user base favors mature brands and ecosystem capabilities, leading to a concentration of market resources towards leading technology firms [2][3]. Trend 5: Focus on State-owned Enterprises for Opportunities Around "Certainty + Cost-effectiveness" - Regulatory bodies are intensifying the separate assessment and market value management of state-owned enterprises' new energy businesses, driving resources towards electric intelligence. Major automotive groups are restructuring to shorten development cycles, accelerating the integration of intelligent configurations into mainstream price segments [2][3]. Trend 6: Growth of New Energy Heavy and Light Trucks Enters Acceleration Phase - The electrification of commercial vehicles has crossed a critical point, entering a self-driven growth phase. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for heavy trucks has dropped to a recovery period of 1.5-2 years, accelerating the replacement of fuel vehicles. The light truck sector is also maturing, with urban delivery electrification fully established [3][6]. Trend 7: High-perception Intelligent Cockpit Configurations Will Reshape Purchase Decisions - Intelligent cockpits have become a default configuration in new energy vehicles, with the importance of intelligent features in purchase decisions rising to the forefront. Consumers are focusing on visual and perceptible components, making HUDs, large LCD screens, and intelligent seating core differentiation battlegrounds [3][6]. Trend 8: Intelligent Driving Accelerates Along "End-to-End" and "Equal Rights" Paths - The intelligent driving architecture is transitioning to an "end-to-end" model, enhancing efficiency across the perception and decision-making chain. The continued acceleration of L3 policies provides opportunities for leading manufacturers to compete and iterate rapidly in high-level intelligent driving [3][6]. Trend 9: Three Major Autonomous Driving Commercialization Scenarios Approaching Explosive Growth - Robotaxi, mining autonomous driving, and unmanned logistics vehicles are moving from pilot projects to mass production. The cost advantages of unmanned logistics vehicles are becoming increasingly evident, with sales curves showing signs of exponential growth [3][6]. Trend 10: Embodied Intelligence Enters Pre-production Phase, Releasing a Second Growth Curve for the Automotive Manufacturing Industry - Humanoid robots are transitioning from hardware-driven to intelligent dual-core driven, with the automotive supply chain naturally adapting to this field. The synergy between embodied intelligence and the automotive industry is expected to create dual dividends in performance and valuation [3][6].