A Chinese auto-industry roundup published on Oct. 9 led with a braking test of the Maextro V800. In a video released on Oct. 8, Dongchedi showed three cars undergoing repeated emergency stops from 100 km/h on a closed course. Their brake-pedal brackets broke on the second, third or fourth attempt, after which the cars could only be brought to a stop using the parking gear. JAC Motors, Maextro’s manufacturing partner, hit its daily trading limit that morning; its investor-relations team said production and operations were normal.
Maextro said the braking system had been developed and validated against standards stricter than the national requirements it cited, and that it had received no reports of this failure in customer use since deliveries began. The company said it would improve the component, offer existing owners a free upgrade, and review design validation and manufacturing quality controls. Dongchedi responded that a 100-km/h stop was not an extreme test condition. The V800 went on sale in August, priced from 766,000 yuan.
The roundup also reported a proposed restructuring of Toyota’s China joint-venture arrangements. GAC plans to acquire FAW’s 50% stake in FAW Toyota by issuing shares, while FAW would become a strategic shareholder in GAC. FAW Toyota is expected to remain independently operated, with the two Toyota joint ventures cooperating in areas including development, purchasing, production and sales; the transaction price has not been set.
September figures showed SAIC selling 406,000 vehicles, down 7.67% year on year, while its new-energy sales rose 18.72% to 225,000 and exports plus overseas-base sales climbed 49.07% to 150,000. Seres reported 29,271 new-energy vehicles, down 34.48% year on year but up 20.7% month on month. Separately, Xiaomi said its Pengcheng-series models logged more than 70,000 order locks in their first 30 days. XPeng named its robotaxi service XPENG YOYO, initially available by invitation in selected Guangzhou areas, and said it aims to offer rides without a safety operator in 2027.