Earlier this year, Chery’s Aimoga robotics R&D team established a technical partnership with DeepSeek, an emerging AI powerhouse known for its groundbreaking low-cost training technology.
This collaboration aims to leverage DeepSeek’s advanced AI models to enhance the voice interaction capabilities of Aimoga robots, driving the next wave of intelligent innovation.
This initiative marks another significant milestone in Chery’s intelligent innovations, building on the success of the Lion intelligence cockpit system. It also underscores Chery’s sharp foresight and rapid execution in embracing AI advancements – a testament to the company’s 15-year strategic investment in AI technology.
“Our collaboration with DeepSeek is a natural extension of Chery’s long-standing commitment to AI-driven innovation,” commented Verene Petersen, National Marketing Manager for Chery South Africa.
“By integrating advanced voice interaction capabilities into Aimoga robots, we’re enhancing their role in automotive retail and exploring how intelligent voice technology could shape future mobility experiences. As we continue refining these capabilities, we see exciting potential for broader applications across Chery’s ecosystem,” added Petersen.
The Chery Aimoga robotics team recognised DeepSeek’s key advantage: its significantly lower training costs than competitors. Powered by NVIDIA H800 chips, DeepSeek offers complete transparency in model weights and training logs under the MIT open-source protocol. This cost-effective and open approach aligns perfectly with Chery’s R&D philosophy: technology for the benefit of all.
Chery Aimoga robots have already integrated DeepSeek’s V2, V3, and R1 open-source models into their robot cloud platform. These models power the interaction systems for Chery 4S store marketing robots. Real-world testing on the Chery robot hardware is expected to begin next week.
The Chery Aimoga R&D team expressed enthusiasm for deepening collaboration with DeepSeek and other leading intelligent enterprises across broader domains. Their goal is to push the boundaries of robotic applications, unlocking new possibilities for innovations.
The decision by Chery’s technical team is no coincidence. Since 2010, when Chery first ventured into AI, the company has strategically built an intelligent, interconnected technology base in collaboration with industry leaders like Baidu. The 2018 launch of CheryLion marked its full entry into the AI domain.
By 2020, Chery initiated a dedicated R&D programme for humanoid robots, culminating in the global debut of its robot brand, Aimogo, and its self-developed robots and robotic dogs in 2023. Last year, Chery announced a mass production plan for Aimoga robots; over the past 15 years, Chery has progressed from R&D to mass production and deployment, solidifying its position as an AI innovator.
Chery intends to start selling humanoid robots in overseas markets in the first half of this year, with the initial application scenario focused on car sales assistance. Looking ahead, Chery aims to integrate the development of the Internet and automotive intelligence to create an intelligent mobility ecosystem centred on human-robot-vehicle collaboration.
This vision aligns with its long-term goal of evolving into a home-based intelligent terminal, further cementing its role as a pioneer in the AI-driven future.
Viceswerve
Dawn Nathan-Jones started her illustrious career at 21 when she joined Imperial Care Rental when it was just getting off the ground and only had five cars. Her ability to innovate, reinvent and drive change helped her become CEO of Imperial Group\’s Car Rental Division. In the position for 18 years, she spearheaded the merger of Imperial Car Rental and Europcar, which is now used as a case study for rebranding by local and international business schools. She went on to become one of the \”sharks\’ on M-Net\’s Shark Tank. In 2007, she won the Transnet Foundation\’s Boss of the Year Award. In 2012, she was appointed as Vice President of SAVRALA (Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association). She is a member of the Business Women\’s Association, International Women\’s Forum, Institute of Directors and advocate of Equal Opportunities for Women and founded the Europcar Jewish Woman in Leadership Award.