Carmakers offer latest tech to stay ahead in biggest market

GAC Aion is one of the first Chinese carmakers to launch an EV platform. It sold 30,063 EVs in October, up 149 percent year-on-year.

Its total sales in the first 10 months reached 212,384 units, up 134 percent year-on-year. The carmaker's sales target for the year is 200,000 units.

International carmakers are speeding up the introduction of new electric models and deepening their localization campaigns in China.

By the end of 2022, Audi will offer six pure electric models in China, taking its electrification campaign to a new level in the world's largest market for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Last week, the German premium carmaker started to move its growing research and development team into a new building in Beijing.

"The new Audi China Building underpins the Four Rings' strategy to further increase its local R&D capacities in China," said Audi. "The state-of-the-art R&D facility will also serve as a key innovation hub for the next generation of Audi technologies."

Early this month, BMW announced it is investing around 10 billion yuan ($1.41 billion) to expand the battery production facility at its manufacturing base in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province.

BMW Brilliance Automotive's battery production facility started operations in 2017. The facility, which was the first of its kind built by international premium carmakers, expanded in 2020.

The 10-billion-yuan investment is another milestone of its localization in China, its largest market in the world.

Oliver Zipse, chairman of BMW Group, said China is one of its most strategically important markets. He made the remarks when he visited China this month as a member of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's business delegation.

Zipse said China has grown into a main driver in many of BMW's strategic areas, including digitalization, electrification and sustainability.

Sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids stood at 714,000 units in October, up 81.7 percent year-on-year, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. They accounted for 28.5 percent of total vehicle deliveries in October.

NEV sales from January to October reached 5.28 million units, up 110 percent year-on-year. The CAAM said their total sales are expected to reach 6.5 million units this year.