Auto leaders optimistic as Anhui emerges as industry hub

Chery Automobile Co, headquartered in Wuhu city, reaped 300 billion yuan in revenue last year. In the first quarter, it sold 530,000 automobiles, up 60.3 percent year-on-year. Sales of NEVs surged 124.3 percent. The company's 253,000 vehicles were exported to over 80 countries and regions. The number of exports ranks first among Chinese brands.

On April 19, Chery Automobile signed a pact with Spain's Ebro-EV Motors to develop NEVs through a joint venture in Barcelona, making the company the first Chinese automaker to produce vehicles in Europe. On April 25, it signed a cooperative agreement with Nvidia in automatic driving.

"Deep involvement in globalization is the necessary path for Anhui to transform from a major automobile province to a strong automobile province," said Yin Tongyu, chairman of the board, adding that the company will focus on technological innovation to promote Anhui's high-quality development.

The company brought 27 models to the exhibition, 80 percent of which are NEVs.

Electric vehicle startup NIO, headquartered in Hefei, occupies about 60 percent of the market share of high-end pure EVs whose price is higher than 300,000 yuan, said Li Bin, its founder and chairman.

NIO produced 160,000 EVs in 2023, up 30 percent year-on-year, compared with the domestic average growth of 24.7 percent. The company previously cooperated in production with JAC Group, a State-owned automobile company. As of March, it has its own factory.

Li said Anhui has advantages in developing intelligent EVs because it has a big talent pool from leading universities and good policies to encourage them to stay. It also has numerous auto-related companies in the supply chain to help decrease costs.

"Producing an EV here can save 4,000 to 5,000 yuan in logistics costs," he said. "Anhui provides a good business environment. The government officials think like enterprises and give us much support."

NIO plans to build 1,000 EV charging stations in Anhui.

"I believe Anhui will definitely become a global hub for innovation and industry clustering in smart electric vehicles, and it will also become the most convenient and enjoyable place globally for using electric vehicles," he added.

Alexandre Catala, managing director of IDIADA China, a Spanish automotive engineering company, said Anhui province actively supports the auto industry with high ambition and determination, which is why companies like Chery Automobile and NIO develop so fast.

He said he is happy for Chery Automobile's joint venture in Barcelona and looks forward to future cooperation in the European market.