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A two-month consultation period has opened amid concerns the city risks denting its free market appeal.

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<a href="/company/kuaishou">Kuaishou</a> said initial investors agreed to inject USD 2.03 billion into its Kling AI unit. The agreement allows additional investors to join, with total potential funding capped at USD 3 billion. A person close to the transaction said Kuaishou expects to begin a Hong Kong listing process for Kling within 12 months.

<a href="/company/xpeng">Xpeng</a> chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng expects Level 4 and Level 5 <a href="/industry/autonomous-vehicles">autonomous driving</a> to become commercially viable within three to five years. He cited rapid advances in <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> as the main driver, adding that China’s current Level 2 driving assistance systems will be eligible for global use starting in December under new UN regulations.

<a href="/company/byd">BYD</a> has launched a car data service plan for 5G-enabled models, offering 50 gigabytes of high-speed data per month. The service costs RMB 29 per month, RMB 79 per quarter, or RMB 299 per year. Once the limit is reached, speeds are throttled, but connectivity remains active. Owners can purchase the plan through BYD’s app.

Changan Automobile delivered 1.1956 million vehicles in the first half of 2026. Overseas deliveries rose 35.1% YoY, while new energy vehicle deliveries reached 456,000 units, up 5.2% YoY.

GAC Toyota produced its ten millionth vehicle at its Nansha plant in Guangzhou on July 2. The company sold 341,107 units in the first half of 2026, making it one of the few passenger car manufacturers in China to reach the production milestone.

Avatr has submitted a new prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after its initial filing expired. The EV maker sold more than 122,000 vehicles in 2025 and reported revenue of more than RMB 25 billion, though it remained unprofitable with a 2025 loss of RMB 3.48 billion.

Leapmotor chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming and shareholder Fu Liquan bought 4.81 million H shares at an average price of HKD 35.86 per share. Following the transaction, their shareholder group holds 25.05% of the company’s total issued shares. The two shareholders have invested about HKD 900 million in the company over the past six months.

<a href="/company/meituan">Meituan</a> has issued an internal notice restricting the use of <a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance's</a> Doubao large model. Business teams must review existing Doubao-related work and migrate to approved models including Meituan’s LongCat and <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a>, unless they obtain separate approval. The company previously tightened internal use of <a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba's</a> Qwen model in April.

<a href="/company/li-auto">Li Auto</a> is restructuring its product department by moving key vehicle and <a href="/industry/autonomous-vehicles">autonomous driving</a> functions into its R&amp;D division. The move is intended to shorten decision-making cycles by reducing the number of departments involved in product definition from three to two, effectively removing the platform product definition layer.

Ant Group is reassigning the head of its LingGuang AI assistant to support AQ, its health-focused AI product. The move suggests Ant is pulling resources back from the crowded general-purpose AI assistant market and redirecting them toward vertical applications with clearer commercial potential.

Photo shows part of Hong Kong's northern border with Shenzhen.

By connecting businesses across ASEAN and the GBA, Hong Kong can show how hubs create more value together.

Hong Kong's hub ambitions are not a zero-sum game

Hong Kong&#8217;s hub ambitions are not a zero-sum game

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ByteDance, a Chinese internet company, uses machine learning to recommend engaging videos, news, and social content (via TikTok and Douyin).

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It has raised its revenue targets, betting that stronger models will lift its cloud business.

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Cheng Zi is based in China, covering technology- and business-related events. She works with her colleagues at 36Kr Global to provide coverage in both English and Chinese.

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An Ai.R autonomous vehicle undergoing road testing in Punggol, Singapore.

Grab, a Southeast Asian superapp, provides ride-hailing, food delivery, and mobile payments, connecting millions to on-demand services.

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Pony.ai develops self-driving technologies for cars and trucks, collaborating with automakers to bring safer, fully autonomous mobility to public roads and fleet services worldwide.

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ComfortDelGro is launching a free driverless shuttle service through its app.

Singapore moves ahead with autonomous taxis as trials expand

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Hong Kong’s hub ambitions are not a zero-sum game

Volcano Engine bets better models, not lower prices, will decide the MaaS race

Singapore moves ahead with autonomous taxis as trials expand