How Tesla’s AI shift is prompting Chinese rivals to expand tech offerings

Tesla’s falling car deliveries and declining profitability on the mainland have not stopped its Chinese electric-car rivals from imitating the US firm’s transition into an artificial intelligence entity.Xpeng, Li Auto and Nio, dubbed as Tesla challengers over the past decade, have taken similar steps to diversify into emerging technologies and position themselves for the future of transport.These Chinese firms are now building next-generation vehicles, flying cars, robots and chips to create their own ecosystems and offer consumers alternatives to existing transport options, competing against their US rival on these new fronts.“Tesla’s influence on its Chinese EV counterparts is not fading,” said Phate Zhang, the founder of Shanghai-based data provider CnEVPost. “Tesla’s pivot from car production to AI-related technologies has already inspired some Chinese rivals to beef up their technological heft.”01:52China’s Guangdong Xiaopeng tries to dispel rumours that its robot is human