Amid recent buzz over a foreign automaker's prototype 'flying car,' an opinion piece in the People's Daily urges a balanced view: glitzy demonstrations should not overshadow China's hard-won lead in new energy vehicles (NEVs).
The commentary points to a string of Chinese records: BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme set a 496.22 km/h production-car speed record; CATL's third-generation Shenxing ultra-fast-charge battery can reach a full charge in just over six minutes, a global benchmark; and Huawei and Li Auto have rolled out integrated cockpit-driving and end-to-end intelligent-driving systems that keep iterating.
China now accounts for 35.6% of globally published automotive patents — more than one in every three. The paper argues that Chinese automakers are winning through multidimensional, path-diverse and grounded innovation, and calls for composure and an open, equal-footed mindset as the industry moves from a large auto nation to an auto power.
Source: People's Daily (Nov 2, 2026)
