"Everyone minding their own business" competition method is quite mediocre, but if you want to pursue "long-termism" in development, some things must be broken. At the 2026 TEDA Forum, various companies rarely used impressive data to make a show. In exchange, there was a deeper discussion on the future of the industry. The unified idea of collectively "hitting the brakes" is enough to prove that everyone has started to calm down and think about matters beyond their own doorstep.

Looking at the current industry status, in terms of scale, the Chinese automotive industry caught up and even surpassed others in 20 years, which can be called a "model". But scale, after all, has a plateau period. The price war has fought until now, new car gross margins have fallen into negative values, dealerships have large-scale price inversion, some enterprises rely on compressing verification cycles, lowering safety standards to exchange for "speed", which is overdrawing the most precious trust in the entire industry.

When "speed" starts to harm the roots, "slowing down" becomes more worth discussing. Seres Liu Zongcheng threw out the viewpoint of "the biggest risk in the automotive industry is not slowness, but hasty completion" at the moment when AITO was galloping; Industry Association's Dong Yang emphasized that anti-involution should be normalized, institutionalized; MIIT keynote report repeatedly mentioned "irrational competition" "rectification of internet chaos".

Speeches on the forum were very dense, it looks like they are all saying to slow down the pace. In fact, this discussion finally hopes everyone agrees and thinks about just one question: after the scale dividend is finished, the comparison is no longer speed. Next, how should everyone live? Perhaps, it is time for Chinese automobiles to return to rational thinking.

Liu Zongcheng's "Hasty Completion Theory" is Actually "Risk Theory"

Regarding "hasty completion", there has been discussion in the industry. Liu Zongcheng's "Hasty Completion Theory" this time even brought this matter to the table. "Speed" itself might not be wrong, and if the cost is compressing verification cycles, lowering safety standards, then this is gambling with users. Moreover, the industry has long passed the wild growth period, starting to move towards the stage of "one prosperes with the whole and falls with the whole". Liu Zongcheng's "Hasty Completion Theory" actually also points to "Risk Theory". After all, muddying the water of the industry, the final impact is on the survival environment of all staff.

Of course, the source of hasty completion points to involution. Dong Yang mentioned in his speech that anti-involution is not a breeze, must be normalized, institutionalized. He even gave a specific path: use the automotive performance subjective evaluation method to find out the enterprises truly leading involution one by one. This words seem serious, but actually point out the crux of why the price war has fought for years and cannot stop.

Under the Prisoner's Dilemma, stopping is difficult. And if you can rely on mechanisms to let the "truly setting the pace" stop, this thing can actually be done. MIIT Chief Engineer Wang Weiming repeatedly mentioned "irrational competition" "rectification of internet chaos", believe it also has the meaning of using mechanisms to adjust.

Since the problem was discovered long ago, why only now do everyone agree? To put it plainly, still we are now at the cliff edge, not change, everyone might "live not well". Vice President Wang Du of China Association of Automobile Distributors disclosed that new car gross margins have fallen to -21.4%, 78.1% dealerships price inversion, 13 mainstream brands inventory depth exceeds two months.

Inventory two months is what concept? Plainly speaking, it means dealerships must occupy about 60 days of turnover funds to take inventory, continuously bear capital interest pressure. And Wang Du also gave another set of data more cruel, now only 11.2% dealerships believe the annual market still has growth space. That is to say, out of ten, nine already do not hold hope.

These numbers superimposed together, industry "bleeding" status can be said to be very terrible. Traced back, hasty completion risk visible: short term get scale, long term lose trust. Liu Zongcheng that sentence especially on point: rectify "hasty cars", whole is industry chaos, stand is user confidence. And to knock down this risk point, everyone must jointly change "high involution". Changan Automobile Zhang Xiaoyu said "urban NOA penetration rate has reached 20.9%, and true active use users less than 6.3%" data, also reflects industry exists trust dilemma.

Tian Jietang's judgment, actually speaking is another "way of living"

In the past few years, many car companies have been "fighting price wars" "competing for scale", objectively speaking, this conforms to actual survival methods. But industry increasingly thin profit margins, increasingly more car companies falling down because of "bleeding", also reflect the current increasingly severe survival environment.

This makes one have to think about a question, current industry participants, is it time to change a "way of living"? State Council Development Research Center's Tian Jietang believes, automobiles will shift from "selling standard products" to "selling scenario solutions". He even gave some more specific predictions: next five years, anti-motion sickness may become a smart car one big selling point.

You know, current hardware parameters have already rolled to a certain extent, continue to compete 0-100 acceleration, equipped with how many headlights these things, space is very limited. Who can adapt more specific scenarios for users, and let these scenarios truly go solve user travel problems, this is behind truly able to pull distance dimension. Liu Zongcheng view actually also similar, he believes, automobiles have from mechanical products, become will perceive, will think, will act intelligent agent. Automobiles and robots boundary, is becoming blurred.

Industry movements have started to land, Great Wall in dismantling "whole vehicle atomicization capabilities", want to take a car dismantle into four thousand plus schedulable capability units, rely on large models and multi-agents, let car itself understand user intent, complete task loop. Changan Tianshu large model, is trying to let car "understand road, understand car, understand user".

Looks like this is saying smart dimension competition, actually those blurred boundaries, point to are one reality trend: future automobiles will be a will continuously generate value carrier, if car companies still take automobiles as an independent, single mechanical product to sell, then maybe will be existing thinking imprisoned.

Just like that year Nokia, no one dare say its engineers not strong, but its thinking is closed. Sell a more drop-resistant mobile phone to customer, basically transaction ended. iPhone gave users can continuously advanced platform, so it obtained generation after generation supporters. Put in automotive industry is same, industry trend changed, business logic changed, everyone thinking must follow change.

Of course, this change not that simple. Many car companies accustomed past competition methods, logic reconstruction even than technology advancement still hard. From selling cars to selling scenarios, this "way of living" requires car companies slow down steps to ponder, short term look perhaps not fast benefit, but from long term angle, this is a worth layout long line.

Overseas scale up, standards also must follow

Chinese automobiles already entered stock era, this is everyone agreed fact. So this two years various car companies all busy going overseas, and Chinese car companies also very strong, many overseas players already at overseas got good sales data. China Automotive Technology and Research Center Gong Jinfeng at 2026 TEDA Forum released "1-January-July automotive exports 6.41 million vehicles, year-on-year growth 54%, full year exports expected break 10 million vehicles, continuously stay first globally" data, believe can explain Chinese automobiles at overseas already have certain scale.

And current scale does not represent long-term standing, to guard "export peak global first", some standards need industry together build. Great Wall Motor Chen Xiaofeng said: do not do "small courtyard high walls", standards towards same, ecology towards open. He also judged: Chinese smart cars from follow, parallel to lead, no cliff, only steps.

Huawei Wang Chao also said, intelligent driving domain, cockpit domain, motion domain interface should be standardized, stop each do a set, waste capacity and development fee. Hardware interface standardization, cross-car company platformization, build single component million scale platform, Chinese industry chain want go out, must first internal unify standards, then have qualification with others talk standards.

Thailand EVAT Chairman Sorn Suntisarn said: localization rate only 19%, next step will adjust import car consumption tax, encourage car companies go local build factory. He also supplement one sentence: this is not to stop Chinese cars enter, is to together make cake big. Simple point to say, this behind meaning is: market welcomes you, but rules must according local come. So look, overseas scale run up, only first step. Others with you together make cake big premise, often is you can at对方 ecology in root. And to do this level, we must have own standards and rules, otherwise, now run again fast, ultimately is still a loose sand.

Standards this thing, who first stand up, who have right to speak. This logic actually many years ago already have car companies verified, Japanese car companies in last century 70s rely on fuel saving and quality, hard squeeze into US market, wind for several decades. However, arrived now, global luxury cars definition power still be in German hands. Why? Because "luxury" behind standards system, is German people use hundreds years accumulated, not rely on sales pile out.

Chinese car companies use such short time just overseas scale built up, this thing itself worth affirming. But put "product overseas" upgrade to "brand, ecology, standards overseas", still decides Chinese automobiles globalization road can walk far. When our battery interface, fast charge standards, data security logic etc. truly at local become mainstream, that time scale can truly support hold.

Conclusion

Chinese automotive industry development speed, actually is very amazing. But early stage fast run some time after, middle this section road still need slowly accumulate strength, for subsequent sprint prepare ready. 2026 TEDA Forum on, more and more enterprises start think industry future, I believe, this is a gratifying thing. Regardless is this situation force, still everyone's self awakening, as long as industry development eyes no longer limited at eyes before scale and speed on, Chinese automobiles next journey, just worth look forward.