Youxia

Youxia Motors is a Chinese pure electric vehicle brand under Shanghai Xiyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. Established in 2014 and headquartered in Shanghai, it was one of the earliest internet-based new car companies in China to enter the intelligent electric vehicle sector. Youxia focused on researching and developing high-performance intelligent electric vehicles. Its core product featured the KITT OS Human-Vehicle Interaction System, which was deeply customized based on Android. The brand partnered with first-tier international component suppliers such as Panasonic, Delphi, Tyco, Pirelli, and Mobileye.

Following its establishment, Youxia leveraged the founder’s internet background and his admiration for KITT, the intelligent sedan from the TV show Knight Rider, to launch its first concept car, the “Youxia X,” within a short period. Later, after the founder cashed out and departed, the company underwent significant management changes, secured multiple rounds of financing, and engaged in government cooperation. At one point, it planned to build a super factory with an annual capacity of 200,000 units.

However, the brand was repeatedly embroiled in public controversy due to accusations of “PPT car making” (promoting concepts without tangible production) and never achieved mass production or delivery. As of 2026, Youxia has been in a state of de facto bankruptcy and suspension.

History

Youxia’s entrepreneurial story began with a decision to cross industry boundaries. Founder Huang Xiuyuan conceived the idea of starting an electric vehicle company in the second half of 2013. His unique perspective secured investment interest from Weidian CEO Wang Ke. In early 2014, Huang Xiuyuan established the Youxia electric vehicle startup in Shanghai, which officially opened on March 31, 2014. The Youxia car project officially launched on April 1, 2014, with an initial R&D team of about 40 people and 3 million RMB in angel investment.

On July 26, 2015, Youxia Electric held a press conference at the Sanlitun Orange Hall in Beijing. Founder and CEO Huang Xiuyuan announced the official release of what he claimed was the first internet car created by an internet company in China—the “Youxia X.” Positioned to benchmark the Tesla Model S, the car featured a four-door coupe body design and was equipped with Panasonic 18650 ternary lithium batteries. It claimed a maximum range of 460 km and a 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 5.6 seconds. Inside, it boasted a 17.3-inch central control screen and the KITT OS intelligent interactive system, developed based on Android. However, the prototype displayed at the press conference was constructed from a modified conventional fuel vehicle and parts from a disassembled Tesla.

Shortly after the press conference, major changes occurred within the company. In December 2015, Wei Jun, chairman of Xituo Industrial Group, took over Youxia with new funds and a team, serving as the new chairman, while founder Huang Xiuyuan stepped behind the scenes. The brand then entered a new development stage: In November 2016, small-batch trial production of the mass-production model began. By June 2017, 30 high-performance trial prototype cars had successfully rolled off the line. In April 2017, cooperation with the Huzhou Municipal Government began for the construction of a super factory, planned with an annual capacity of 200,000 units, which officially launched in April 2018. In 2018, the company completed Series B and B+ financing rounds. Starting in 2019, Youxia was continuously included in the “Hurun Global Unicorn List” and “Hurun China 500 Strong Private Enterprises,” with its valuation once reaching 20 billion RMB.

Despite these developments, Youxia eventually fell into continuous delays and stagnation. By 2019, when Youxia announced its bankruptcy and closure, both the Youxia X model and the factory construction remained largely conceptual. Founder Huang Xiuyuan had long since cashed out and left, leaving the industry with only the label of “PPT Car Making Pioneer.”

Product Portfolio

Youxia’s product planning experienced a shift from a single-model focus to a multi-model strategy.

Youxia X (Concept Car)
This was the brand’s first and only model to appear publicly, launched in July 2015 and positioned as a four-door pure electric coupe. The vehicle measured approximately 4.8 meters in length with a wheelbase of about 2.8 meters, featuring a fastback shape and full LED headlamps. Its power system utilized an asynchronous motor with a peak power of 270 kW (about 367 hp) and was equipped with a Panasonic 18650 ternary lithium battery (85 kWh version). It claimed a maximum range of 460 km and a 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 5.6 seconds. The planned mass-production version was intended to upgrade to a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, with a range of 500 km and a 0–100 km/h acceleration time of approximately 5 seconds.

Youxia X Mass Production Version (Not Started)
Design extensions and technical upgrades were planned based on the concept version, adopting advanced steel-aluminum hybrid body connection processes. The mass-production version was set to significantly expand intelligent configurations, supporting L2/L3 level autonomous driving. It would have been equipped with a total of 22 intelligent sensing devices throughout the vehicle, including six millimeter-wave radars, twelve ultrasonic radars, and eight cameras.

Subsequent Planned Models (Not Started)
Youxia once planned to launch SUV and MPV models on the same platform basis. Among these, the SUV reportedly entered the trial production stage. Additionally, R&D for two new models began in 2019.

It is important to note that none of the above planned models ever entered the mass-production stage. On all mainstream car sales platforms, these models are marked as “No sales data currently available” or “Stopped for sale.”

Market Performance

What Youxia left in the market is a synonym for “PPT car making,” rather than any real sales data. As of 2026, mainstream car sales query platforms all show “No sales data available for Youxia currently.” Although the company secured multiple rounds of financing, reaching a peak valuation of 20 billion RMB, and planned an annual capacity of 200,000 units at its Huzhou factory, none of its mass-production promises were fulfilled.

In terms of reputation, Youxia’s first concept car was criticized for its high similarity to the Tesla Model S in appearance, battery solution, and interior interaction. It was dubbed “A Humanities Student’s Car-Making Daydream” and faced further accusations of “ruthless copying” because it claimed to develop a complete electric concept car from scratch in just 482 days. Multiple technology media outlets and industry commentators cited Youxia as a typical case of “PPT car making,” arguing that it never truly crossed the critical stage from concept display to engineering verification.

Technology and Innovation 

Youxia’s technology system was primarily built around the following aspects:

Operating System and Intelligent Interaction
KITT OS is an intelligent vehicle interaction system deeply customized based on Android 5.1. It supports voice control and can autonomously learn user language habits, allowing users to control the entire vehicle through natural language. Additionally, Youxia opened its SDK and API, enabling developers to customize personalized functions.

Intelligent Driving
The mass-production version planned to equip an L2/L3 level autonomous driving system, integrating 22 intelligent sensing devices throughout the vehicle. This included six sets of millimeter-wave radars, twelve ultrasonic radars, and eight cameras, supporting automatic parking and various assisted driving scenarios.

BMS Battery Management System
The system utilized the LTC6804 chip for cell management, with sampling precision error controlled within 1 mV.

Three-Electric System
The vehicle was equipped with an asynchronous motor featuring a peak power of 270 kW, a maximum speed of 16,000 r/min, and a maximum torque of 440 N·m. The power battery selected was the Panasonic 18650 ternary lithium battery, with the 85 kWh version claiming a range of 460 km.

Overseas Joint R&D
Youxia collaborated with top international automotive engineering companies such as IDG, Prodrive, EDAG, and MIRA to develop its chassis platform and high-performance power system.

However, it must be emphasized that most of these technical solutions remained at the planning stage, lacking systematic mass-production verification and independent third-party testing.

Global Presence

Youxia once established a relatively complete global R&D layout. At the end of 2017, construction of its European R&D Center officially began, setting up the Youxia Design Center in Turin, Italy; the Chassis Engineering and Safety Center in Wiesbaden, Germany; and the High-Performance Technology R&D Center along with a dedicated race track in London, UK.

In terms of partnerships, Youxia signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with IDG (a world-famous automotive design company founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro), which was responsible for extracting the brand’s family design genes and handling human-engineering interaction design. It also partnered with Prodrive (one of the world’s largest independent racing and power technology R&D enterprises, and a long-term partner of Ford, Subaru, Aston Martin, etc.) to jointly develop Youxia’s high-performance power platform system. Additionally, the company cooperated with EDAG (a leader in international automotive product development) and MIRA (a world-class chassis development company) in areas such as chassis platform development and safety testing.

This overseas R&D network was once regarded as a model for new car enterprises to emulate, but it ultimately failed to translate into mass production.

Future Outlook

Since 2019, Youxia has been successively marked by the industry as "Bankrupt and Closed", and on the official level has stopped all operational activities. Company founder Huang Xiuyuan had long cashed out and left, and Wei Jun team also failed to pull Youxia out of the mud of PPT car making. For many years, there has been no new car release, mass production delivery, or capital restructuring information. Its Huzhou planned annual capacity 200,000 unit super factory was never officially put into production, and supply chain agreements have been long in limbo.

In terms of market and legal levels, Youxia faces multiple lawsuits from investors and creditor recovery. In sales rankings of industry authoritative institutions such as China Passenger Car Association, Youxia has been in a state of no sales record status for consecutive years. With the State Administration for Market Regulation tightening new energy production qualification threshold and capital tightening review on new car entrepreneurs, "Zero Mass Production" Youxia can no longer meet investment survival conditions under new regulations.

From a historical perspective, Youxia is recognized as the pioneer of "PPT car making" in the wave of China's new car entrepreneurs, with its extremely dramatic entrepreneurial rise and fall, warning of the huge risk of technology and market detachment. This is not only a failed specimen in China's first wave of internet car making, but also a industry alarm bell for later generations (such as NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, etc.) to cross the concept display period and face the mass production threshold.