The ZXMOTO booth at EICMA 2025, where the Chinese motorcycle brand showcased a range of models for the European market. (Photo/ZXMOTO)

Chongqing - Chongqing Liangjiang New Area is strengthening its reputation as a hub for high-growth tech companies, with motorcycle maker ZXMOTO topping the city's proposed 2026 potential unicorn list among seven companies.

The list was recently released by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. Six of the seven newly selected potential unicorns are based in Liangjiang New Area, underscoring the area’s growing concentration of fast-growing technology firms.

Liangjiang’s high-growth companies are mainly concentrated in advanced manufacturing and technology-intensive sectors, including intelligent connected new energy vehicles, next-generation electronic information manufacturing, artificial intelligence, life sciences and healthcare, high-end equipment and robotics, and new materials.

Among these sectors, intelligent connected new energy vehicles and next-generation electronic information manufacturing have become the most active sources of unicorns and potential unicorns. Liangjiang has built a 400-billion-yuan intelligent connected NEV cluster and a 300-billion-yuan next-generation electronic information manufacturing cluster. Its automotive sector brings together nine major vehicle manufacturers, including Changan Automobile and Seres, as well as more than 300 core suppliers.

This industrial base gives smaller technology firms access to application scenarios, supply chain partners, and early commercial orders. Li Tao, general manager of Lanshan Electronics, said the company has benefited from leading automakers such as Changan and Seres, building a vehicle-chip collaboration model that uses market demand to drive chip iteration. Sevnce Robotics has developed a range of explosion-proof inspection and emergency-response robots for overseas markets.

Artificial intelligence is another fast-growing field. Liangjiang has seen AI-related firms emerge in industrial software, machine vision, digital handwriting recognition, intelligent manufacturing and data services, reflecting the sector’s commercialization potential.

Liangjiang’s high-growth companies share several common features: long development cycles, specialized technologies and high R&D investment. Many have operated for five to eight years or longer, reflecting the time needed for advanced manufacturing and deep-tech companies to reach commercial scale.

Rather than chasing short-term trends, many focus on specialized segments with high technical barriers, including automotive-grade chips, photonic crystal fiber-optic gyroscopes, and industrial operating systems. These technologies position local firms within key parts of advanced manufacturing supply chains.

R&D spending remains a major factor supporting their growth. In 2025, ZXMOTO reported a total output value of 750 million yuan and R&D investment of 69.58 million yuan, accounting for 9.33% of sales. Other local technology firms also reported R&D intensity well above the city average.

Liangjiang’s high-growth company base reflects the combined impact of industrial scale, real-world application scenarios, long-term R&D investment and close links with leading manufacturers, reinforcing its role as one of Chongqing’s key incubators for future unicorns.