As 2026 begins, various companies have sounded the horn of attack, with BMW, Tesla and other car companies leading the price and installment wars. However, what attracts more attention than the price war is actually a major reshuffle in the treatment of employees in car companies. In just one week since the beginning of the year, some car companies have implemented weekends off, some have increased salaries, and some have started preparing for year-end bonuses. Behind the intense efforts to optimize the treatment of migrant workers in the automotive industry, there may be a precursor to another round of "talent wars".

Recently, Great Wall Motors officially started its two-day weekend, which will be implemented in 2026 and cover all employees. According to Observer Network, some employees have even been looking forward to weekends for 30 years. As the saying goes, how many 30 years do people have in their lives? This old employee is probably approaching retirement age.

Optimizing employee benefits is not the first time for Great Wall. Last year, on the occasion of the brand's 35th anniversary, Great Wall also held a recruitment session for job seekers aged 35+. Compared to Great Wall's sales and profit performance, it actually demonstrates the courage of implementing the new system this time. Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, although Great Wall Motors achieved market share growth, high marketing and channel construction costs dragged down profits, resulting in a year-on-year decline of 16.97% in net profit. It took many years for the vacation system of Great Wall employees to complete the fourth iteration from "monthly odd and even days off" to "big and small weeks", "big and small weeks+high temperature leave", and finally to the current double day off, which was obtained by canceling 10 days of high temperature leave. It can be seen that the Great Wall is really short of people.

Some benchmark companies in other industries directly use real money to improve the treatment of workers. Recently, BYD has implemented precise salary increases for its technical research and development personnel, ranging from 500 yuan to 3000 yuan. Outstanding performers can receive higher increases, and most employees who meet the standards will receive an additional 1000 yuan per month. The salary increase may be implemented in 2026. At present, BYD has as many as 150000 technical R&D personnel. If one person has 1000, this big red envelope would be 150 million.

As a leading battery company, the management of CATL has decided to adjust the salaries of employees at levels 1-6 starting from 2026, with a total increase of 150 yuan in basic salary for all employees. Considering the large base of 147700 grassroots employees, the total monthly salary increase for CATL is 20 million yuan. Why are the salary increases of the two leading companies pale in comparison? I hope that the 150 yuan from Ningde Times is just the beginning.

Instead of increasing salaries, some car companies are already packing up year-end gift packages.

An employee on the Xiaohongshu platform revealed that the year-end bonus coefficient of Xiaomi Group may reach 1.2, and the year-end bonus of the automotive department may even reach 2-3 times the original. However, as of press time, Xiaomi has not responded to this news officially. More credible news comes from Changan. On January 7th, Changan Automobile stated that "the company has formulated and promoted corresponding incentive plans based on annual business performance and incentive standards." According to online reports, Changan Automobile's year-end bonus will be as high as 4.3 months+3000 yuan. If the information is true, it can be said to be quite generous. Both of these car companies are steadily developing in 2025, and their year-end gift packages are definitely not lacking. Of course, the current online information is for reference, and the actual amount of year-end bonuses will only be known after they are distributed before the Spring Festival.

Compared to the severe "involution" in 2025, the first week of 2026 marks a 180 degree turn in the "anti involution" trend initiated by car companies in different ways. But ultimately, the welfare actions of car companies are never simply "charity", but a touchstone of their competitiveness. In the wave of new energy transformation, we not only need to compete in technology and products, but also in sincerity towards employees. In 2026, the competition for the treatment of employees in car companies will only become more intense, and ultimately those who master core skills and choose the right track will benefit.