Overview
- China implements a package of national rules on January 1, including the world’s first mandatory EV energy‑consumption limits, a revised Cybersecurity Law, one‑time credit repair, and interest on digital‑RMB wallets.
- An NDRC–Finance Ministry notice backing large‑scale equipment renewal and consumer trade‑ins is expected to bolster vehicle demand, and analyst Cui Dongshu projects a strong January with Q1 passenger‑car sales roughly flat year over year.
- Automakers outline next steps: reports say Li Auto will streamline 300,000–400,000 yuan range‑extender SKUs while continuing its i8 EV line, and China FAW posts 2025 production and sales of 3.3 million vehicles with faster autonomous NEV growth than the industry.
- Apple is reportedly preparing a major Siri overhaul for spring 2026 that uses Google’s Gemini to enable richer conversations and multi‑step tasks, reflecting a pragmatic approach after holding back on massive AI capex.
- Private AI financing hit about $150 billion in 2025 as giants mapped huge infrastructure outlays; Andrew Ng calls it the dawn of an AI industrial era, and startup RedBear AI raised ¥80 million, open‑sourced MemoryBear, and targets a cross‑modal memory release on January 16 with an A‑round planned for Q2 2026.