Zotye Automobile Co.,Ltd. (000980) has undergone another management change. On the evening of February 26, the company announced that Lin Longhua resigned from his position as non-independent director of the ninth board of directors due to personal career plans. After stepping down, he will no longer hold any position within the company. Following deliberation, the board has nominated Mr. Zhong Yufei as a candidate for non-independent director of the ninth board.
According to past media reports, Zhong Yufei followed Xiaomi founder Lei Jun as early as the Kingsoft era, becoming the 21st employee by staff number. He later served as Xiaomi Mobile Operations Manager at Xiaomi Corporation. His resume shows that Zhong was born in September 1978 and graduated from China Agricultural University with a bachelor's degree. From November 2005 to April 2010, he served as Editor-in-Chief at Beijing Kingsoft Software; from May 2010 to February 2017, he held the position of Director at Xiaomi Technology; from March 2017 to December 2019, he worked as Vice President at Beijing Xiaobei Auto Technology; and from January 2020 to December 2020, he was Partner and Marketing Vice President at Jiaogepengyou Holding Limited. Since January 2021, Zhong has been serving as Executive Director at Beijing Moyu Technology Co., Ltd.
Qichacha data indicates that Moyu Technology was established in March 2018 with a registered capital of 50 million yuan and paid-in capital of 1 million yuan. Zhong Yufei holds a 90% equity stake in the company. The company's official website features only an image of a cosmic black hole with the text "Moyu AI Robot: An Intelligent Entity Perceiving Life" displayed at the center. Public information shows that Moyu Technology has previously launched products such as AI translation devices.
Zhong Yufei's nomination has sparked speculation among investors on stock forums, with comments including: "Is this a collaboration with Xiaomi?" and "This appointment brings someone closely associated with Lei Jun—it's clearly aligned with Xiaomi's circle." Previously, Moyu Technology was identified by outsiders as part of the Xiaomi ecosystem chain. In May 2019, the company posted job openings on recruitment platforms for its e-cigarette brand "TAKI Xike," seeking engineers for product structure, atomization, and e-liquid flavoring. This quickly led to online rumors suggesting Xiaomi might be entering the e-cigarette market. Xiaomi promptly denied the speculation, stating: "We reiterate that Xiaomi will not produce e-cigarettes. We reserve the right to pursue legal action against organizations or individuals who misuse the Xiaomi brand to mislead consumers." TAKI Xike later clarified that it had never claimed any cooperation with Xiaomi and that the brand has no association with Xiaomi.
According to business registration information, Xiaomi's subsidiary Tianjin Jinmi Investment briefly held shares in Moyu Technology from March 20 to May 17, 2019. Currently, there is no substantive relationship between Moyu Technology and Xiaomi.
Zotye Automobile primarily engages in vehicle manufacturing and auto parts. The company's 2025 performance forecast indicates an estimated net loss of 281 million to 417 million yuan, representing a year-on-year decrease in losses of 58.32% to 71.91%. The company attributed the results to historical issues that have largely halted vehicle production operations. Additionally, to maintain basic corporate structure and advance resumption plans, the company continues to bear necessary administrative and financial expenses, leading to ongoing losses in core business operations.