AI Automotive Startup EXTURING Raises Nearly 100 Million Yuan in Pre-B Round
Chinese AI-native automotive intelligence company EXTURING (Yitu Technology) announced on September 21 the completion of a nearly 100 million yuan (approximately $14 million) Pre-B funding round. The round was co-led by Shanghai Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Industry Investment Fund and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Shenzhen Jiupai Capital, Jiangsu Jinqiao Private Equity Fund, and existing investor Hefei Baohe District Science and Technology Innovation Fund. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate deployment of its AICAR product, advance next-generation AICAR with proprietary on-device models, expand global market presence, and strengthen R&D and talent recruitment.
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Cross-source coverage
Common ground
- Yitu Technology has strong technical capabilities and is strategically important for China's automotive AI ecosystem.
- Government backing from funds like Shanghai Semiconductor Fund provides a longer runway than typical VC funding.
- The company has achieved significant market penetration, serving 70% of top Chinese automakers with million-unit deliveries.
- Specialization matters—no single automaker can match cross-manufacturer optimization across the entire market.
Points of contention
- Eastern Agent sees government backing as a guarantee of long-term success, while Neutral Agent argues it doesn't ensure commercial viability or prevent competition.
- Eastern Agent believes Yitu can become the 'Android of automotive AI,' but Neutral Agent says the analogy fails because Yitu lacks Google's cash, global ecosystem, and independence from hardware partners.
- Neutral Agent worries automakers building in-house AI teams will become competitors, while Eastern Agent views this as market validation and a chance for Yitu to thrive through specialization.
- Eastern Agent thinks Yitu's 'sovereignty' pitch will attract Global South markets, but Neutral Agent argues it creates new dependencies and trust issues for foreign buyers.
Blind spots
- Both sides overlook how quickly geopolitical shifts could disrupt Yitu's supply chain or customer relationships, especially in overseas markets.
- Neither fully addresses the risk that other well-funded Chinese AI startups could replicate Yitu's software and undercut its position.
- The debate ignores the possibility that automakers might collaborate to create a shared open-source AI platform, bypassing third-party vendors like Yitu.
WorldAttention’s read
Yitu Technology is a strategically important player in China's push for indigenous automotive AI, backed by patient government capital and strong market adoption. However, its long-term success hinges on converting shipments into recurring revenue before automakers' in-house teams or competitors catch up. While government support provides a safety net, it cannot force automakers to buy a product that becomes obsolete or overpriced. The company's overseas expansion faces real trust and regulatory hurdles, and its 'Android of automotive AI' vision is ambitious but lacks the structural independence and ecosystem scale of Google's platform. Ultimately, Yitu is a well-funded Tier 1 supplier with a government edge—impressive, but not invincible.
Reporting timeline
Chinese AI Automotive Startup Yitu Technology Raises Nearly 100 Million Yuan in Pre-B Round
Yitu Technology (EXTURING), a Chinese AI-native automotive intelligence company founded in 2023, announced the completion of a nearly 100 million yuan Pre-B funding round. The round was co-led by Shanghai Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Industry Investment Fund and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Shenzhen Jiupai Capital, Jiangsu Jinqiao Private Equity Fund, and continued investment from existing shareholder Baohu Science and Technology Innovation Fund. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its AICAR product, advance the next-generation AICAR integrated with its proprietary on-device models, expand its multi-terminal strategy and global market presence, and strengthen its R&D and delivery systems across multiple locations as well as high-end talent recruitment. Since early 2026, Yitu has completed three funding rounds: a Series A in January led by Volcano Engine and Ruicheng Fund, a Series A+ in April led by Yunqi Partners, and this Pre-B round in August.
Read sourceAI Native Automotive Firm Yitu Tech Raises Nearly 100 Million Yuan in Pre-B Round
Yitu Technology (EXTURING), founded in 2023, announced on September 21 the completion of a Pre-B funding round of nearly 100 million yuan. The round was co-led by Shanghai Semiconductor and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Jiupai Capital, Jiangsu Jinqiao, and existing investor Baohe Kechuang. The funds will accelerate the mass adoption of AICAR, advance next-generation AICAR integrating proprietary on-device models, expand multi-terminal strategy and global markets, and strengthen R&D delivery systems and talent. In 2024, Yitu delivered the industry's first in-vehicle AI agent platform. In 2025, its core product Xinjie AI full-stack system launched. At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, Xinjie AI 2.0 and a global cockpit solution were unveiled. Recently, Yitu AICAR went online. The company has served over 70% of China's top automakers and mainstream joint-venture brands, with millions of units delivered. Investors praised Yitu's dual expertise in AI and automotive, its full-stack technical matrix covering on-device reasoning models, travel agent clusters, generative AI interaction, and AIOS framework, and its mass-production delivery capability. Sands Talk Capital highlighted the team's global readiness, while Jiupai Capital noted the industry shift from feature phones to smartphones in automotive. Jiangsu Jinqiao emphasized the team's nearly 20 years of experience at top-tier suppliers and new energy vehicle makers.
AI-native automotive firm Yitu Tech closes nearly 100 million yuan Pre-B round
Yitu Technology (EXTURING), founded in 2023, announced on September 21 the completion of a nearly 100 million yuan Pre-B financing round. The round was co-led by Shanghai Semiconductor and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Jiupai Capital, Jiangsu Jinqiao, and existing investor Baohe Kechuang. The funds will accelerate the scale deployment of its AICAR product, advance next-generation AICAR integrating proprietary on-device models, expand multi-terminal strategy and global markets, and strengthen R&D and talent teams. In 2024, Yitu delivered the industry's first in-vehicle AI agent platform; in 2025, its core product Xinjie AI full-stack system launched; at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, Xinjie AI 2.0 and a global cockpit solution debuted; recently, Yitu AICAR went online. The company has served over 70% of China's top automakers and mainstream joint-venture brands, with millions of vehicles shipped. Investors praised Yitu's dual expertise in AI and automotive, its full-stack technical matrix covering on-device reasoning models, travel agent clusters, generative AI interaction, and AIOS framework, and its proven mass-production delivery capability. Sands Talk Capital highlighted the company's readiness for overseas markets, while Jiupai Capital noted the industry shift from feature phones to smartphones in automotive interaction. Baohe Kechuang emphasized Yitu's role in cockpit-drive integration and cross-domain coordination as key differentiators for OEMs in the intelligentization race.
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Chinese AI Startup Yitu Technology Raises Nearly 100 Million Yuan in Pre-B Round
Yitu Technology (EXTURING), a Chinese company specializing in AI-powered automotive solutions, announced on September 21 that it has completed a Pre-B funding round of nearly 100 million yuan (approximately $14 million). The round was co-led by the Shanghai Semiconductor Equipment Materials Industry Investment Fund and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Shenzhen Jiupai Capital Management Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Jinqiao Private Equity Fund Management Co., Ltd. Existing investor Hefei Baohe District Science and Technology Innovation Fund also increased its stake. The company stated that the funds will be used to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its AICAR product, advance the development of next-generation AICAR that deeply integrates self-developed on-device AI models, expand its multi-terminal strategy and global market presence, and strengthen its R&D and delivery systems across multiple locations as well as its high-end talent pipeline.
Read sourceChinese AI Firm EXTURING Raises Nearly 100 Million Yuan in Pre-B Funding Round
Chinese artificial intelligence company EXTURING (Yitu Technology) announced on September 21 that it has completed a Pre-B funding round of nearly 100 million yuan (approximately $14 million). The round was co-led by Shanghai Semiconductor Equipment & Materials Industry Investment Fund and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Shenzhen Jiupai Capital Management and Jiangsu Jinqiao Private Equity Fund Management. Existing investor Hefei Baohe District Science and Technology Innovation Fund also increased its stake. The company stated that the funds will be used to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its AICAR product, advance the development of a next-generation AICAR that deeply integrates self-developed edge-side AI models, expand its multi-terminal strategy and global market presence, and strengthen its R&D and delivery systems across multiple locations as well as its high-end talent pipeline.
Read sourceYitu Technology Completes Nearly 100 Million Yuan Pre-B Funding Round
Yitu Technology (EXTURING) announced on September 21 the completion of a Pre-B funding round totaling nearly 100 million yuan (approximately $14 million). The round was co-led by the Shanghai Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Industry Investment Fund and Sands Talk Capital, with participation from Shenzhen Jiupai Capital Management Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Jinqiao Private Fund Management Co., Ltd. Existing shareholder Hefei Baohe District Science and Technology Innovation Fund also increased its investment. The company stated that the funds will be used to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its AICAR product, advance the development of a next-generation AICAR deeply integrated with its proprietary on-device models, support multi-terminal strategic expansion and global market entry, and strengthen its R&D and delivery systems across multiple locations as well as high-end talent recruitment.
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