Gasgoo Munich- On September 3, the 2026 World Power Battery Conference opened in Yibin, Sichuan. CATL Chairman Robin Zeng delivered a keynote speech via video titled "Opening the Next Era with 'CATL Quality'."Unlike past industry gatherings that zeroed in on technical metrics like energy density and fast-charging speeds, Zeng shifted his focus entirely to "quality" this time around.Image Source: CATLWhy address quality in Yibin? Because with greater scale comes greater responsibility.Zeng pointed to the numbers: In the first half of this year, sales of new energy vehicles in China surpassed 7.4 million — nearly half of total auto sales. Globally, power battery installations exceeded 608 GWh, with Chinese firms claiming seven of the top ten spots and a market share of over 70%. But there is a flip side: more than 600 new models have launched domestically this year, averaging nearly three a day, and some power battery products have suffered batch failures."This is precisely when we need to be vigilant," Zeng said bluntly. The industry is racing on speed, specifications, and price, squeezing development cycles ever shorter — "at the expense of product quality and consumer trust." With 30 million vehicles worldwide running on Chinese power batteries and billions of cells entering homes, even the tiniest flaw can be magnified exponentially by such massive volume.Zeng introduced the concept of "CATL Quality" for the first time, defining it in three terms: safety, reliability, and long life.He pointed to case studies in evidence: one battery pack still retained 88% capacity after six years and 840,000 kilometers, while the Zhangbei energy storage project maintained over 80% capacity retention after nine years of operation.He emphasized that quality is not tested into a product, but designed and manufactured into it. CATL addresses risks before they become issues, using AI to transform quality management from "detecting failures after the fact" to "identifying anomalies in advance." To that end, the company established the industry's only "adversarial group" at its inception — a multidisciplinary team spanning electrochemistry, mechanics, and AI that holds veto power.Zeng concluded that China's new energy industry has gone global. The question is no longer "can China build good new energy vehicles," but "are Chinese brands worthy of long-term trust?" "That trust isn't bought with low prices," he said. "It comes from high quality, maintained year after year."He announced the launch of the first "CATL Quality" Global Open Month this September. The company will open its headquarters and manufacturing bases to the industry and media. It offers a look at how this battery giant — which commands a 39.9% global market share — pursues quality to the extreme.