Gasgoo Munich- Zotye Auto has made fresh progress in reviving its vehicle business, following the restart of operations back in March. The company's mold factory is now fully back online after the delivery of tooling for its new models. With early-stage R&D and verification complete, the project has officially moved into the phase of production batch verification.Image Source: Zotye AutoThe delivery of these molds marks another step forward in Zotye's preparations to resume vehicle manufacturing. Tooling is the foundation for mass-producing stamped body panels and components; getting the mold factory back up and running provides the necessary support for subsequent parts production and final vehicle assembly.Zotye has been pushing its revival agenda throughout the year. On March 18, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhejiang Shenkang Auto Body Mold Co., officially resumed operations. At the time, the company cautioned that the restart was still in its infancy. Ramping up capacity and synchronizing the supply chain would take time, the company noted, adding that a full recovery of its vehicle business remained uncertain.Image Source: Zotye AutoAccording to its latest semi-annual report, development of the new vehicle project is proceeding in parallel. By the end of June, the new model's styling had been frozen, engineering data released, and most suppliers selected. Component and vehicle testing are now underway. Simultaneously, the company has begun retrofitting and maintaining its factory production lines, with in-house tooling and fixtures progressively entering the design and manufacturing phases.Still, Zotye remains some distance from restoring full-scale vehicle production. The company's semi-annual report explicitly states that its vehicle business had not yet resumed in the first half of the year. It completed only a small number of shipments for overseas orders, while revenue continued to come primarily from auto parts and door manufacturing.Consequently, the restart of the mold factory is best viewed as another milestone in Zotye's broader effort to reboot its vehicle operations. Whether this "resumption" translates into actual market sales depends on several critical factors. These include when the new model enters mass production, whether capacity can ramp up smoothly, and if sales channels, supply chains, and financial systems can recover in sync.