Krypton Evening News | Xiaomi Motors collaborates with NIO to officially commence a charging and energy replenishment network partnership; RT-Mart Super opens three stores consecutively for the New Year's Eve; Japan will relax the visa issuance conditions for Chinese tourists traveling to Japan.
Big Companies:
36Kr learned that, according to the Nikkei, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said during his visit to Beijing on December 25 that the easing measures for Chinese citizens' visas are aimed at. Specifically, it includes the establishment of a 10-year tourist visa and the extension of the stay period for group travel visas from 15 days to 30 days to promote economic and cultural exchanges between China and Japan. The above-mentioned easing measures are expected to be implemented in the spring of 2025 after the preparations are completed. The Qunar index shows that on December 25, the search index for flights to Tokyo and Osaka increased by 20% compared to last week, currently ranking second and third in the outbound destinations. For some relatively niche destinations, such as Hakodate, Otaru, and Izu, the hotel search volume has increased by more than twice compared to the previous week.
It is Reported that Apple's Borderless iPhone May be Delayed
For a long time, Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive has set the ultimate goal of iPhone design as "a complete piece of glass", that is, to completely eliminate the borders. A latest supply chain report shows that Apple had hoped to achieve this goal on the iPhone 18, but it seems unlikely at present. It is understood that at Apple's request, Samsung Display and LG Display are developing borderless OLED screens for the iPhone. However, due to the current level of technological development, it is not yet possible to completely eliminate all borders. Therefore, the prospects for the release of a zero-border OLED iPhone in 2026 are unclear.
36Kr learned that, according to the official Weibo of Xiaomi Automobile, Xiaomi Automobile partners with NIO and officially starts charging and energy supply network cooperation. More than 14,000 NIO charging piles are included in the Xiaomi charging map, supporting real-time viewing of the dynamic data of NIO charging stations in the charging map, and also supporting scanning the code for charging with the Xiaomi Automobile APP.
RT-Mart Super Opens Three Stores in Succession for the New Year
36Kr learned that on December 25, RT-Mart Super Bozhou Jinqiao Store and Taihe Hanlin Square Store opened offline.紧接着, Haikou Haixiu Middle Road Store will also officially open on January 4. It is understood that RT-Mart Super has opened three stores in Anhui and Hainan, with the number of stores reaching 34, covering 11 provinces and cities across the country.
Xiaomi Applies for Registration of YU7 Trademark
36Kr learned that according to the intellectual property information of Tianyancha, on December 9, Xiaomi Technology Co., Ltd. applied to register several "XIAOMI YU7" and "XIAOMI YU" trademarks. The international classifications include transportation and storage, transportation tools, scientific instruments, etc. Currently, the trademark status is waiting for substantive examination. Xiaomi Automobile announced in the evening of December 9 that its second model is an SUV, named "Xiaomi YU7", and it is expected to be officially launched from June to July 2025.
Tsingtao Brewery: Chairman Huang Kexing Resigns Due to Retirement Age
36Kr learned that Tsingtao Brewery announced that the company's chairman Huang Kexing, due to reaching the retirement age, submitted a written application to the company's board of directors to resign as the company's chairman, executive director, and chairman of the board's strategic committee. After his resignation, Huang Kexing will no longer hold any position in the company and its holding subsidiaries.
U.S. Ride-Hailing Giant Lyft Sues San Francisco for Overcharging $100 Million in Taxes
The U.S. ride-hailing giant Lyft filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco on Tuesday, accusing the city of overcharging it $100 million in taxes from 2019 to 2023. Lyft argues that the relevant authorities in San Francisco wrongly classified the payments made by passengers to drivers as the company's income, but this is not how Lyft operates. The company said that Lyft's income comes from the fees paid by drivers, not the fees paid by passengers, which is consistent with the way the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) handles driver compensation. Lyft is seeking a refund for these overcharged taxes, including penalties and interest.
36Kr learned that according to the Tianyancha App, recently, Xueshi Ai Animation Culture (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was established, with Zhao Ning as the legal representative and a registered capital of 60 million yuan. The business scope includes organizing cultural and artistic exchange activities, film production, film shooting services, literary and artistic creation, entertainment exhibitions, digital content production services, TV series production, TV series distribution, online culture management, film distribution, etc. It is jointly held by Mixue Bingcheng Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary Xueshi Xingji Technology Co., Ltd.
Investment and Financing:
IM Motors Completes B Round Financing of 9.4 Billion Yuan
On December 25, IM Motors announced the successful completion of the B1 round of equity financing. The overall B round of financing raised a total of 9.4 billion yuan, and this round of financing was continued to be supported by state-owned investment institutions and market-oriented investment institutions. The funds raised in this round will be used for R & D investment in core technologies such as digital intelligent chassis, steer-by-wire, and intelligent driving, and to accelerate the launch of new products. In 2025, IM Motors will launch 4 new products, including 2 pure electric and 2 extended-range models, to enter a larger market and better meet the diverse needs of users.
"Kedian Zhinengyun Technology" Completes A Round Financing of $15 Million
36Kr learned that "Kedian Zhinengyun Technology" announced the completion of the A round of financing, with a financing amount of up to $15 million. This round of financing is jointly led by Starlight Capital Asia Management Group Co., Ltd. (Starlight Capital) and ADLY LAND SDN BHD D, marking the further deepening of Starlight Capital's strategic layout in the industrial cannabis field.
New Products:
36Kr learned that after Semaglutide, the new star weight loss drug "Tirzepatide" has been officially launched in China. On the evening of December 23, the media found through actual testing that the first GLP-1 dual-target drug Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) has been launched and sold for a limited time on Meituan. People close to Meituan revealed that Tirzepatide was sold out in 3 seconds on the night of its launch, and the number of reservations increased by more than three times compared to the previous day. Currently, the supply is gradually catching up with the demand, and it can be purchased throughout the day since December 25. The merchant customer service said that Tirzepatide is currently in high demand, and they will continue to stock up to meet the demand. It is reported that the supply may enter a stable state from January to February.
Zhongqing Robot Officially Starts Global Sale of Universal Embodied Intelligent Agent PM01
36Kr learned that Zhongqing Robot officially starts the global sale of the lightweight, highly dynamic, and fully open universal embodied intelligent agent PM01. Compared to the previous generation of scientific research and education platform SA01, PM01 has a better degree of open source, higher compatibility, stronger dynamic performance, more abundant power, and a more stable hardware body.
QQ Music Launches Version 14.0, Releases the First AI Large Model Sound Effect
36Kr learned that QQ Music Version 14.0 is officially launched. At the same time, the first AI large model sound effect is released, which intelligently matches the sound effect for listening to music. In addition, QQ Music Version 14.0 also launches more personalized functions, such as retro style and horizontal screen player for users to choose.
Today's Views:
36Kr learned that recently, the Financial Regulatory Bureau issued the "Notice on the Connection between the Regulatory Provisions on Corporate Governance and the Company Law", and the person in charge of the relevant department answered the reporter's questions on related issues. The person in charge of the relevant department said that during the implementation of the "Notice", after the financial institution cancels the supervisory board, if the original external supervisor meets the qualification requirements for an independent director, he can be transferred to an independent director according to the selection procedure of independent directors. However, the cumulative tenure of the original external supervisor and those transferred to independent directors should generally not exceed six years.
Other News Worth Noting:
Japan to Ease Visa Issuance Conditions for Chinese Tourists to Japan
According to the Kyodo News Agency, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono revealed at the ministerial-level "Japan-China High-Level People-to-People Exchange Consultation Mechanism" meeting on the 25th that the visa issuance conditions for Chinese tourists to Japan will be eased.