雷峰网·2025-12-31 03:44Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the challenges faced by automotive companies in their pursuit of smart driving technology, highlighting the high expectations and subsequent failures of many startups in this sector, often resulting in a rapid rise and fall [2][3]. Group 1: Challenges in Smart Driving Startups - Two notable events in 2025 marked a downturn in the smart driving industry, with major companies like Maomao Zhixing and Dazhuo Intelligent facing significant operational challenges [2]. - The decline of these companies reflects broader issues within the automotive industry's approach to smart technology, including unclear positioning, resource misallocation, and cultural clashes between traditional automotive and tech talent [2][4]. Group 2: Equity Structure Issues - Many smart driving companies established by traditional automakers suffer from problematic equity structures, often leading to conflicts in decision-making and operational inefficiencies [5][6]. - For instance, Maomao Zhixing is over 53% controlled by Great Wall Motors, which has led to a lack of decision-making power for its management team, ultimately contributing to its struggles [6][10]. - Dazhuo Intelligent's structure, with 80% ownership by Chery, similarly restricts its founder's ability to drive technological innovation due to a lack of authority [10][11]. Group 3: Strategic Positioning Confusion - The strategic positioning of many smart driving companies remains ambiguous, often serving as mere suppliers to their parent companies rather than independent market players [17][18]. - Maomao Zhixing's initial focus was to provide smart driving solutions exclusively for Great Wall Motors, which tied its success to the parent company's market performance [18][19]. - This dependency on a single client has led to operational difficulties, especially when Great Wall Motors sought alternative suppliers for smart driving technology [19][20]. Group 4: Cultural Conflicts - The cultural clash between traditional automotive companies and tech startups creates significant barriers to innovation and talent retention [29][30]. - Traditional automotive firms often have rigid hierarchical structures and lengthy approval processes, which hinder the agility required in the fast-paced tech environment of smart driving [29][30]. - This cultural mismatch has resulted in missed opportunities for smart driving companies to attract top talent and respond swiftly to market changes [30][31]. Group 5: Competitive Pressures - The emergence of tech giants like Huawei and Baidu has intensified competition, as they offer comprehensive solutions that outpace the capabilities of traditional automaker startups [38][39]. - Huawei's substantial investment in smart driving technology, exceeding 10 billion annually, has positioned it as a market leader, further squeezing the viability of smaller, automaker-affiliated startups [39][40]. - As traditional automakers enhance their own R&D capabilities, the original purpose of these smart driving companies—to fill technological gaps—has diminished, leading to their integration or dissolution [40][41].