Strategic investment strengthens X Star's Australian market presence and supports the development of automotive AI technology. AI WINGMAN was showcased at AIMCONNECT 2026, held in Singapore on 11 October.
SINGAPORE, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore-headquartered automotive finance technology company X Star Technology ("X Star") has made a strategic investment of close to A$10 million in AutoSwift, the Australian developer of automotive AI platform AI WINGMAN by AutoSwift ("AI WINGMAN").
The investment strengthens X Star's presence in Australia's automotive technology sector and will support AutoSwift to accelerate AI WINGMAN's development and growth.
X Star serves more than 2,000 automotive dealers, manufacturers and financial institutions across Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, delivering AI-powered solutions across automotive finance and intelligent marketing.
A strategic investment in purpose-built automotive AI
Shawn Yang, CEO of X Star Technology, said the investment reflects the company's focus on AI technology designed for automotive customer engagement.
"AI is reshaping how dealers, manufacturers and financiers engage with customers across the entire vehicle ownership lifecycle. Dealerships that turn their data into timely, relevant customer engagement will be best placed to compete.
"AI WINGMAN is a purpose-built platform from a team that understands both dealership operations and automotive finance. It is already used by franchised dealers of leading brands in Australia, and we see strong potential for it to grow across the region.
"This investment reflects our confidence in AutoSwift's team and technology. We look forward to working together to bring the next generation of automotive AI to more dealers and their customers."
From AIMCONNECT 2026 to strategic partnership
Organised by X Star Technology, AIMCONNECT 2026 brought together more than 250 industry leaders from 11 countries, including representatives from over 100 automotive organisations, more than 60 financial institutions and approximately 20 technology companies. AI WINGMAN was showcased at the event, following its appearance at the AADA (Australian Automotive Dealer Association) Convention & Expo in Sydney in July.
An agentic customer engagement platform, AI WINGMAN works alongside dealer sales and service teams across web chat, SMS, WhatsApp and telephone, turning untapped dealership data into actionable insights.
It is used by franchised dealers of leading automotive brands including BYD, Zeekr, Land Rover and Kia.
Mr Lei Shen, Director of AI WINGMAN, said: "X Star's strategic investment is a strong endorsement of our technology and vision. It provides a solid foundation to accelerate innovation and bring Australian-developed automotive AI solutions to a broader regional market."
ENDS
Note to editors:
Please refer to AI WINGMAN by AutoSwift in the first instance. AI WINGMAN is always in capital letters.
About X Star Technology
X Star Technology is a Singapore-headquartered AI innovator specialising in automotive finance. With a presence across Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, X Star serves more than 2,000 automotive dealers, manufacturers and financial institutions. Leveraging proprietary AI models and agentic AI technology, the company delivers innovative solutions across automotive finance and intelligent marketing, driving digital transformation across the global automotive ecosystem.
About AI WINGMAN by AutoSwift
AI WINGMAN by AutoSwift is an Australian-developed agentic customer engagement platform for automotive dealers. It works alongside dealer sales and servicing teams to answer and qualify enquiries, book appointments and identify sales opportunities.
About AutoSwift
AutoSwift is an Australian fintech venture that provides AI-powered solutions to enhance consumers' experience of buying and financing vehicles.
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Singapore's X Star Technology invests close to A$10 million in AutoSwift to scale AI WINGMAN
SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Healthplex Expo, Natural & Nutraceutical Products Shenzhen 2026" (HNCEXPO-Shenzhen 2026), jointly organized by CCCMHPIE and Sinoexpo Informa Markets, took place from October 13 to 15, 2026, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. Drawing on the industrial strengths of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the exhibition served as a dedicated platform for brand showcases, trend announcements, technical exchanges, and business matchmaking. Co-located with Hi & Fi Shenzhen, the exhibition brought together players across the entire industry value chain, from ingredient suppliers to finished-product manufacturers, strengthening the role of health and wellness sector within the fourth Connexion ShenZhen.
The fourth Connexion ShenZhen covered health, lifestyle, catering, hospitality, and furniture, as well as food processing and packaging, food service equipment, and commercial appliances. Spanning 180,000 square meters, it attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors from around the world and drew a record 138,342 trade visitors, up 25.25% year on year. The health and nutrition sector, a core part of the co-located shows, recorded 29,753 visits. Overseas attendance rose 60.2% from the previous edition, further strengthening the exhibition's role as a platform for international business connections.
Leading Companies Present Products Across the Value Chain
In response to China's growing demand for higher-quality health products, HNCEXPO-Shenzhen 2026 presented a wide range of exhibits across key categories, including nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, Diet Therapy & TCM, beauty and anti-aging products, functional foods, innovative health and wellness products, and smart senior care and age-tech products. Contract manufacturing, private-label production, and other supply chain services complemented the exhibits. Featuring popular products and cutting-edge technologies, the exhibition offered buyers diverse sourcing options and access to suppliers and business partners.
The exhibition brought together leading health and nutrition companies from China and abroad, including SIRIO, BIOHIGH, ERA, FTCM, Wright Life, JIAN LIN, INATURAL, 1Q HEALTH, MEGA GROUP, ACORN, ZUONING, ALAND, BIOBOR, BAIHUAN, JILDAN, GABE, UNION, GENLAI, YUNKANG, DUNKANG, DR.BOB MILLER, CSPC, KANGXI, RUNAN, KANG.Q.Y.BAI, SUNRISE, NUTRYFARM, CHINYOU, TANLAER PHARMA (U.S.), MAYTAI, PRINOVA, EASY HEALTH, DR KANG, PRO SAFE NUTRITIONALS, and HUAYAN. They presented advanced products, innovative technologies, and comprehensive industry solutions. Face-to-face business discussions between exhibitors and trade buyers underscored HNCEXPO-Shenzhen's role as an important platform for companies to demonstrate their capabilities, gain market insights, and expand their business networks.
Themed Zones and Livestreaming Open New Business Opportunities
The HNCEXPO-Shenzhen 2026 featured a range of specialized zones and pavilions, including the International Brand Zone, Tonic Food Zone, Silver Economy and Tech Zone, and LOHAS Wellness Zone. These specialized zones provided industry professionals with targeted opportunities to connect with relevant suppliers, discover new products, and identify growth opportunities.
Reflecting consumers' growing emphasis on prevention and daily nourishment, the Tonic Food Zone continued to focus on nourishing products made with traditional ingredients used in both food and medicine. Concurrent conferences, including "New Pathways for Innovation Across the Food-Medicine Homology Value Chain" and "The Future of Dietary Wellness: Product Innovation and Growth in Food-Medicine Homology," explored how these ingredients can be applied in modern Chinese tonic products. The combined exhibition and conference program helped participants examine the sector's development prospects in greater depth.
Making its debut at HNCEXPO-Shenzhen 2026, the Silver Economy and Tech Zone focused on the evolving health and consumption needs of today's senior citizens. It brought together innovative companies specializing in consumer healthcare, smart technologies, travel and extended-stay services, and age-friendly products.
Coinciding with the promotional run-up to the Singles' Day shopping festival, HNCEXPO-Shenzhen partnered with Douyin E-Commerce Global and Tencent Marketing to create a dedicated e-commerce livestreaming zone. Combining the exhibition's on-site product displays with the reach of online livestreaming platforms, participating brands engaged both trade visitors at the venue and consumers online, gaining brand exposure while converting interest into sales.
Over 30 Concurrent Events Explore Industry Priorities and Prospects
Alongside its extensive product displays, the exhibition hosted more than 30 industry forums, specialist seminars, product launches, and business matchmaking events. Together, they provided opportunities for dialogue across disciplines and sectors, addressing key challenges and emerging opportunities throughout the health and nutrition value chain. Discussions examined the latest industry policies and regulations; compliance and regulatory frameworks for cross-border business; innovative commercial applications of ingredients used in both food and medicine; R&D in synthetic biology and advanced anti-aging technologies; developments in microbiome health and ingestible beauty; brand building and trust-based marketing; the practical implementation of digital transformation; and technical challenges in new product development. Sessions also explored distribution and market trends, including sustained growth for e-commerce brands, overseas market expansion for health and wellness products, overseas market strategies for nutritional interventions and health devices, digital and AI-driven health innovation for older adults, and collaboration across the Greater Bay Area's health industry. Regulatory experts, academic researchers, ingredient R&D engineers, brand founders, distribution specialists, platform executives, and service providers from across the value chain joined the discussions. Lively exchanges brought diverse perspectives together and generated practical insights and ideas for the industry's future.
Targeted Matchmaking Delivers Greater Business Value
To enhance business opportunities for exhibitors, the exhibition set up a dedicated matchmaking zone and organized a series of one-to-one meetings between suppliers and buyers. The "Product Matchmaking with Top Retail Channels" and the "1V1 Product Matchmaking with E-Commerce Channels" sessions welcomed representatives from major platforms including Tmall Global, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, JD.com, and Taobao Live, alongside established multi-channel network (MCN) agencies and content creators. These sessions connected exhibitors directly with e-commerce partners for in-depth business discussions and new distribution opportunities.
The exhibition also introduced the "Health Discovery Tour," featuring two routes: "Food-Medicine Homology" and "Functional Nutrition and Metabolic Anti-Aging." Following these routes, visitors could connect with relevant exhibitors, gain insights into market developments, discover leading companies and innovative products, and explore potential business partnerships.
Next Stop Shanghai in June 2027
Although the three-day HNCEXPO-Shenzhen in South China has concluded, industry exchange and business cooperation continue. The "Healthplex Expo, Natural & Nutraceutical Products Shenzhen 2027" will take place from October 13 to 15, 2027, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. Industry professionals are invited to reunite in Shenzhen to explore rising trends in the Greater Bay Area's health industry, and create new opportunities together.
Looking ahead, we cordially invite you to join us from June 22 to 24, 2027, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) for "Healthplex Expo 2027, Natural & Nutraceutical Products China 2027" (HNCEXPO-Shanghai 2027). Bringing together leading companies and innovators from the global health and nutrition industry, the exhibition offers a strategic platform to discover emerging trends, expand business networks, and plan for future development. We look forward to welcoming you to Shanghai, where industry partners from around the world will come together to exchange insights, foster collaboration, and explore new opportunities for the global health and nutrition industry.
CONTACT US
Website: www.hncexpo.com/en/
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HNCEXPO Shenzhen 2026 Concludes Successfully as Attention Turns to Shanghai in June 2027
