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According to 36Kr, Mercedes-Benz is developing a new EV platform codenamed 'Phoenix' using Geely's GEEA 4.0 E/E architecture, scheduled for production around 2030 to replace the current MMA platform for next-generation entry-level models including the A-Class, B-Class, GLA, GLB, and CLA. This marks the first time in the luxury brand's history that new platform development occurs outside Germany, with its China R&D centre serving as the global headquarters for compact vehicle development while the German base focuses on mid-size and large vehicles. The GEEA 4.0 architecture supports both EV and non-EV applications, succeeding the GEEA 3.0 debuted in the Geely Galaxy E5 (Proton eMas 7 twin). The move reflects Mercedes-Benz's cost-reduction strategy through deepened Geely partnership, following similar collaborations announced by Volkswagen and Stellantis with Chinese brands.

Chery has commenced pre-sales of the QQ3 EV, offering four variants with 310km and 420km ranges priced between 68,920 and 89,985 yuan. The battery-electric city car adopts a "smart roundness" design language with a closed grille and distinctive Q-shaped LED headlamps across six colour options. Technology highlights include the AI Lingxi intelligent cockpit, Carmind AI agent and Falcon 500 advanced driver assistance system, demonstrating Chery's strategy to democratise smart EV features in the entry-level segment.

Honda will cease fuel-cell production at its Brownstown, Michigan JV plant with GM by end-2026 and dissolve the 2017-formed FCSM partnership. Leveraging joint achievements such as the 2024 plug-in CR-V e:FCEV, Honda will commercialise its next-generation self-developed fuel-cell system in 2027, positioning hydrogen as a new core business after 30-plus years of R&D.

FAW Audi has officially launched the A5L HDI Hybrid quattro on March 19, with a starting price of 324,800 yuan. Built on the Audi PPC premium fuel intelligent platform as the new flagship variant, the vehicle integrates HDI full-domain hybrid technology, quattro intelligent AWD system, and Huawei Qiankun advanced driving assistance system. The design continues Audi's latest language with six color options including Qingcheng Green and Aurora Purple, featuring 20-inch sport wheels, red brake calipers, and through-type tail lamps. Measuring 4908/1860/1448mm with a 2969mm wheelbase, the coupe-style roofline emphasizes its sporty positioning, marking Audi's latest breakthrough in premium fuel-powered intelligent vehicles.

LUXEED has unveiled official images of the new "Dark Night Purple" colorway for the R7 and S7, featuring higher saturation than the existing "Phantom Purple." Following the earlier "Vibrant Orange" release, both models will officially launch on March 23. The S7 is a mid-large pure electric sedan priced at 229,800-289,800 yuan with a 2950mm wheelbase, while the R7 coupe SUV starts at 249,800 yuan with a 0.219 drag coefficient. Both feature HUAWEI ADS 4 intelligent driving system with end-to-end navigation assist, valet parking, and the debut Smart Sense Parking function.

Li Auto unveiled its next-generation autonomous driving foundation model MindVLA-o1 at NVIDIA GTC 2026, presented by Foundation Model Lead James Zhan. Built on native multimodal MoE Transformer architecture, the model achieves full-stack capability upgrades through five technical innovations: 3D spatial understanding, multimodal reasoning, unified behavior generation, closed-loop RL, and hardware-software co-design. MindVLA-o1 evolves the Vision-Language-Action unified architecture from standalone driving systems toward general-purpose physical world agents, with future extensibility to robotics, marking a critical breakthrough in the transition from autonomous driving to embodied AI paradigms.