Krypton Evening News | Starbucks China responds to the rumor of opening franchises: It's false information; Apple Inc. announces that Turner will succeed Cook as CEO
Large companies:
Mengshi Automobile Collaborates with Huawei Kunlun to Unveil Smart Off - road Black Technology
36Kr learned that on April 20th, Mengshi Automobile held a spring renewal press conference. At the press conference, Mengshi Automobile and Huawei Kunlun jointly unveiled smart off - road black technology and completed a comprehensive renewal at the same time. In the next two years, Mengshi Automobile will gradually implement new smart off - road technologies on more than 4 new models.
Zhu Huarong of Changan Automobile: Strive to Achieve Revenue of 600 Billion Yuan by 2030
36Kr learned that at the strategic press conference of Changan Automobile in China, Zhu Huarong, the Party Secretary and Chairman of Changan Automobile, stated that the company will follow the "two - step plan in ten years". By 2030, it will strive to achieve an operating revenue of 600 billion yuan and enter the first echelon of the world's automobile enterprises (top 10 globally). It will build one 500 - billion - level, two 100 - billion - level, and several 10 - billion - level industries. By 2035, it will strengthen brand competitiveness, consolidate its position among the world's top ten, and significantly improve its industry status, efficiency and effectiveness.
Elon Musk Increased His Stake in SpaceX by $1.4 Billion Last Year
It is reported that Elon Musk increased his stake in SpaceX by $1.4 billion last year. (Yicai Global)
Zhu Huarong of Changan Automobile: The company aims for an annual production and sales volume of 4 million vehicles by 2030, with new energy vehicles accounting for over 60%
36Kr learned that at the strategic press conference of Changan Automobile, Zhu Huarong, the Party Secretary and Chairman of Changan Automobile, stated that in the next five years, the company will further focus on key products. The product portfolio will be adjusted from 63 models to 36, a reduction of 43%. The company will create one global best - selling product with an annual sales volume of 500,000 units and five global best - selling products with an annual sales volume of 300,000 units. By 2030, the annual production and sales of automobiles will reach 4 million units, striving for 5 million units. Among them, Avita will sell 500,000 units, Deepal 1 million units, and Changan brand 2.6 million units. New energy vehicles will account for over 60%, and overseas sales will account for 35% - 40%.
Umetrip Apologizes: Some Functions Are Malfunctioning, and We're Working Hard on Repairs
36Kr learned that on April 21st, Umetrip's official Weibo account issued a statement: Around 12:30 noon on April 21st, some functions of the Umetrip App malfunctioned. Passengers are advised to check their itineraries and handle check-in procedures through airlines, airport counters and other channels for the time being. Currently, our technical team is working hard on repairs. We will restore the system functions as soon as possible and update the repair progress. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to all passengers.
Starbucks China Responds to Rumors of Opening Franchises: False Information
On April 21st, there were reports on social media platforms that Starbucks China has officially opened franchises, with a phased roll - out across the country starting from April. The total investment for a single store is approximately between 1.1 million and 1.3 million yuan. In response, Starbucks China stated that this information is false. (Jiemian)
Xiaomi Announces the Launch of Lobster for PC. Xiaomi miclaw Officially Initiates Closed Beta Testing for Multiple Terminals Including PC, Mac, and Smart Speakers with Screens
36Kr learned that on April 21st, Xiaomi announced the launch of Xiaomi miclaw for PC, Mac, and smart speakers with screens, and initiated a small - scale closed beta test. It is understood that Xiaomi miclaw is an AI interaction test product built on Xiaomi's MiMo large - model. It is also the first domestic AI intelligent agent application for mobile phones, which was launched on March 6th and a small - scale closed beta test was initiated.
Yongding Co., Ltd.: Net profit in the first quarter was 159 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 45.19%
36Kr learned that Yongding Co., Ltd. announced that in the first quarter of 2026, it achieved an operating income of 1.246 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 41.92%; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 159 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 45.19%.
Apple Announces That Turners Will Succeed Cook as CEO
On April 20 local time, Apple Inc. in the United States announced the appointment of John Turners, an internal executive who has long been in charge of the hardware business, as the company's next Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Tim Cook, who has led the company since 2011. Apple said that Cook will transition to the role of Executive Chairman. (CCTV News)
Yiming Food: Net profit of 51.1934 million yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 76.87%
36Kr learned that Yiming Food disclosed its annual report. In 2025, it achieved an operating income of 2.904 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.55%; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 51.1934 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 76.87%; the basic earnings per share was 0.1277 yuan. The company plans to distribute a cash dividend of 0.38 yuan (tax included) for every 10 shares.
Investment and financing:
The new tea drink brand "TEAMEET" has received a strategic investment from Yibin High - tech Frontier Technology Industry Venture Capital Fund
36Kr learned that TEAMEET, a new tea drink brand deeply incubated by Time - Space Quadrant under the Dreame ecosystem, announced that it has received a strategic investment from Yibin High - tech Frontier Technology Industry Venture Capital Fund, and the brand's valuation has reached 250 million yuan. The funds from this round of financing will be used to accelerate global channel expansion, upgrade the tea drink supply chain system, open a store in Paris, and promote the layout of overseas stores.
"Independent Variable Robotics" Completes Nearly 2 Billion Yuan in Series B Financing
36Kr learned that "Independent Variable Robotics" completed nearly 2 billion yuan in Series B financing from late March to early April. The leading investors are Xiaomi Strategic Investment and Sequoia China. Not long ago, Meituan, Alibaba, and ByteDance led or solely invested in Independent Variable Robotics in Series A, Series A+, and Series A++ respectively. As of now, Independent Variable has become the only domestic embodied intelligence company invested in by four major internet giants.
New Products:
Zeekr May Launch the 009 Seven-seater Home Edition at the Beijing Auto Show
On April 20th, it was reported that Zeekr will launch the refreshed Zeekr 009 seven-seater family version during the Beijing Auto Show, which may be named the Home Edition. The appearance of this model remains unchanged, but targeted optimizations have been made in details such as seat layout and space utilization, aiming to enhance the riding experience of family users. It will also comprehensively upgrade the full-stack 900V high-voltage architecture to further improve the cruising range. Industry analysts believe that this move is a crucial step for Zeekr to improve its MPV product matrix. As of press time, Zeekr's official has not responded yet.
Today's Views:
Adobe CEO: AI Creates More Opportunities for Software
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen isn't worried that AI will make traditional software obsolete. "I think the bears have it completely wrong," he said in an interview. "I actually think creative companies will have more opportunities than ever before, but we have to harness this well." He pointed out that Adobe serves 70 billion user profiles through its customer experience solutions and has about 850 million monthly average users. "This doesn't mean we're on the defensive in my view," Narayen said. "In fact, we'll be aggressive in delivering results." (Sina Finance)
Other News Worth Paying Attention To:
The humanoid robot industry shines brightly, and the performance of concept stocks is expected to continue to grow at a high rate
In recent years, the scale of China's humanoid robot industry has expanded rapidly. From the upstream core materials, midstream core components to the downstream complete machine manufacturing and scenario applications, a complete industrial chain system has been formed. All links cooperate and interact to promote the transformation of humanoid robots from the R & D and testing stage to the large - scale implementation stage. In terms of future performance growth, among the robot concept stocks that are expected to achieve profitability in 2025 with the year - on - year increase of the parent - company's net profit exceeding 30% (selected in the order of the annual report, performance bulletin, and the lower limit of the performance forecast), 14 stocks are unanimously predicted by institutions to have a parent - company's net profit increase of more than 30% in both 2026 and 2027. Shenghong Technology, Del Co., Ltd., and Haopeng Technology rank among the top in terms of the increase of the parent - company's net profit in 2025. (Securities Times)
US Tariff Refund System Launched
A refund system established to allow businesses to recover illegally collected tariffs from the US government officially went live on the morning of April 20th Eastern Time. Thousands of companies have already submitted applications. The system was created by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency under a court order, aiming to refund up to $166 billion in taxes to importers. In February this year, the US Supreme Court overturned the tariff policy implemented by former President Donald Trump under a law originally intended for national emergencies. According to court documents, as of April 9th, 56,497 importers had completed the necessary steps to receive electronic refunds, with a total amount of $127 billion, accounting for more than three - quarters of the total refund amount. (CCTV News)