Catena-X extends automotive data ecosystem from Europe into China

The automotive industry's next competitive battleground may not be batteries, software or manufacturing capacity. It is increasingly becoming anchored in trusted data.

As regulations governing sustainability, traceability and cross-border information flows multiply, manufacturers are discovering that compliance depends as much on secure digital infrastructure as physical supply chains. Catena-X says it has now taken a decisive step towards solving that problem by establishing what it describes as the world's first trusted cross-border automotive data ecosystem connecting Europe and China.

Developed in partnership with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) and VDA China, the initiative creates a common framework for sovereign industrial data exchange between two of the world's largest automotive markets. Zhonglian will operate the ecosystem within China, becoming Catena-X's second operating partner and its first outside Europe. The expansion has been enabled through technical interoperability and strategic support from Cofinity-X.

Operations are scheduled to begin in mid-November 2026, with companies across China's automotive sector invited to participate in shaping future applications and operational use cases.

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The development comes at a time of mounting regulatory pressure on global automotive manufacturers.

From February 2027, the European Union's Battery Regulation will require battery passports for all electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid battery packs entering the European market. Manufacturers will need to demonstrate complete supply chain traceability alongside verified carbon footprint data. Without a compliant battery passport, products cannot enter the European market.

Meeting those requirements becomes considerably more complicated when data originates in China. Chinese regulations governing strategically important industrial information, including categories classified as "important data", place strict controls on cross-border transfers. Without trusted infrastructure, companies must submit applications to the Cyberspace Administration of China before transferring such information abroad. The approval process can take up to five months and offers no guarantee of success.

Catena-X says its new infrastructure addresses both regulatory frameworks simultaneously by enabling battery passports to be generated once using authenticated supply chain data while remaining compliant with both Chinese and European rules. The concept has already been demonstrated through a pilot project and will now move towards industrial-scale deployment.

Oliver Ganser, Chairman of the Board, Catena-X, said: "Global automotive supply chains are increasingly reliant on trusted data exchange. Without it, compliance becomes more complex, more costly, and more fragmented. By establishing a dedicated operating partner in China, we are putting the infrastructure in place to enable secure, sovereign data exchange at scale, allowing companies to meet regulatory requirements such as the EU Battery Regulation while protecting intellectual property.

"This is how the industry moves from fragmented data flows to a shared, operational standard that works globally. And crucially, this is an open, interoperable ecosystem, not a walled garden, so any qualifying, certified company can offer their solutions on the open marketplace.

"Working in partnership like this ensures we have the ability to meet regulatory pressures with confidence, and quickly develop new use-cases which will deliver even greater value because they are designed by the industry, for the industry."

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Building a shared infrastructure instead of fragmented compliance

The initiative represents more than another digital platform. It seeks to establish common infrastructure for trusted industrial data exchange across the automotive value chain.

Rather than requiring every manufacturer or supplier to navigate regulatory requirements independently, Catena-X intends to provide a shared operating model that enables secure data sharing across multiple jurisdictions while preserving data sovereignty.

Each participant retains ownership and control of its information, defining access permissions before any exchange occurs. This architecture is intended to satisfy regulatory requirements without exposing intellectual property or commercially sensitive business information.

Two agreements underpin the launch. Zhonglian will become the operating partner responsible for managing the Chinese ecosystem, delivering core market services and acting as the regulatory interface within China. Catena-X, CAAM and VDA China will continue leading strategy, governance and technical standards.

Meanwhile, Cofinity-X, Catena-X's original operating partner, will provide technical licensing, interoperability support, financial backing and expertise as the ecosystem scales internationally.

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Battery passports become the first large-scale proving ground

Although battery passport compliance provides the immediate commercial driver, the partners describe it as only the first application of a much broader digital infrastructure.

The ecosystem has been designed as an open marketplace rather than a proprietary platform. Qualified technology providers, application developers and service partners can join through a certification process, enabling them to offer solutions on equal and non-discriminatory terms. Additional industry use cases can then be developed collectively as regulatory and operational requirements evolve.

This approach reflects the growing recognition that digital compliance requirements are unlikely to diminish. Instead, manufacturers increasingly face expanding obligations covering carbon reporting, supply chain transparency, material traceability and product lifecycle information.

Creating common infrastructure now may ultimately prove less expensive than allowing fragmented national or proprietary systems to proliferate.

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An open ecosystem designed for future automotive regulations

The latest milestone builds on almost four years of investment by Catena-X in China as it works towards establishing the country's leading automotive data ecosystem.

The organisation has already partnered with the China Automotive Technology & Research Centre (CATARC) Lin-Gang, which holds China's national mandate for defining data whitelists, helping establish the framework for transferring sensitive industrial information.

It has also created a Digital Clearing House operated by Sungent Digital at the Suzhou International Data Port with support from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

The broader ambition, however, extends well beyond regulatory compliance. By creating trusted, interoperable infrastructure across Europe and China, Catena-X and its partners are attempting to establish digital connectivity as shared industrial infrastructure rather than competitive differentiation; a cross-regional collaboration that, despite the contrary intuitions just a few years ago, is now beginning to gain momentum.People mentioned