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Oct 29
Samsung's Harman expands China plant for ADAS, automotive computing
Samsung Electronics subsidiary Harman International has expanded its manufacturing operations in Suzhou, China, to produce automotive computing platforms and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), with production scheduled to begin in 2027.
Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast aims to make India one of its two largest markets alongside Vietnam, Tapan Ghosh, CEO of VinFast Asia, told Nikkei Asia in an interview published on October 28. The Nasdaq-listed company expects Asia, including Vietnam, to account for 90% of its global sales by 2030.
BYD reported rising profits for the third quarter of 2026, but its performance fell short of analysts' forecasts. The result stems from the challenges China's automakers face, navigating price wars at home while pushing to expand to higher-margin overseas markets.
The in-cabin sensing market is entering a rapid expansion phase. Global Market Insights estimates that the market for in-cabin sensing, including biometric identification and driver monitoring systems (DMS), will grow from US$5.3 billion in 2025 to US$31.7 billion in 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4%, with Asia-Pacific being the largest market, driven primarily by European Commission (EC) regulations and the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) requirements.
South Korean ultra-thin glass (UTG) maker Dowoo Insys is expanding its smartphone glass technology into the automotive market, developing protective glass for rollable OLED displays with a major South Korean automotive electronics company. The product could enter commercial production as early as the second half of 2027.
Luxury carmakers are moving ahead with new battery-electric models even as others delay, cancel, or rebalance electrification plans. Ferrari, Bentley, and Jaguar are pursuing different approaches, highlighting uncertainty over whether electric vehicles can preserve exclusivity, emotional appeal, and profitability. Their strategies also face uneven demand, particularly in China and below.
BYD's premium Yangwang brand has named its ultra-luxury flagship sedan "Altior," with the model expected to sell for more than CNY2 million (US$300,027.8). Developed over approximately three years, the sedan is set to debut in the United Arab Emirates as Yangwang seeks to compete with Mercedes-Maybach, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley.
Qisda President Cally Ko said future infrastructure supporting autonomous physical AI would evolve beyond simply providing connectivity and power to also deliver sensing, computing, and autonomous dispatching capabilities. She also disclosed that the company's commercial drones had already secured orders and entered production, while its quadruped robots were expected to be unveiled publicly in early 2027.
Elon Musk recently confirmed the possibility of a merger between SpaceX and Tesla, signaling an ambition to redefine competition in the AI era beyond individual products and technological advantages toward integration across the entire industrial value chain, encompassing semiconductors, energy, computing, communications, and autonomous systems.
NXP Semiconductors' latest results point to a business gaining from more complex vehicle electronics and industrial computing, while its emerging data center operation offers another route to growth. The next test is whether those opportunities can sustain demand as the company adds manufacturing capacity and customers weigh their inventory needs.
NXP Semiconductors is heading into 2027 with management arguing that its growth now rests on several structural drivers rather than a cyclical rebound. On the company's October 27 earnings call, executives said software-defined vehicles (SDV), AI at the industrial edge and data center control systems would sustain double-digit revenue growth next year.
Tesla's automotive business weakened in the third quarter of 2026 as lower average vehicle prices and battery shortages pressured revenue and profit, while the company accelerated investment in artificial intelligence and its autonomous vehicle strategy. Total revenue was flat, automotive revenue fell 3% year-over-year to US$20.56 billion, and net income declined 4% to US$1.7 billion.