Event shows Anhui an auto powerhouse

There is great potential for the development of the automobile industry in Anhui province as a complete industrial chain has been formed and the provincial government offers strong support as well, executives of major carmakers said during the ongoing Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

In China, one in 10 new energy vehicles or NEVs, and one in four exported vehicles, are made in Anhui, provincial authorities said.

In the first quarter of this year, the province's automobile production reached 620,000 vehicles, accounting for 9.4 percent of the national total.

Among these, 207,000 were NEVs, or nearly 10 percent of the national total. Auto exports from the province reached 326,000 units, up 28 percent year-on-year and accounting for 24.6 percent of the national total.

Seven carmakers, including Chery, Nio, Volkswagen and BYD, have invested heavily in Anhui province.

The province also has more than 2,800 auto parts makers and auto-related firms like makers of power batteries, motor control components, intelligent connectivity devices and lightweight materials, as well as providers of services like sales, maintenance and recycling.

"Anhui accords top priority to the automobile industry, and aspires to develop finished vehicles, core parts and the after-sales market. We are constructing an NEV industrial cluster with global competitiveness," said Han Jun, Party secretary of Anhui, at a conference during the exhibition on Sunday.

"I hope more resources will be invested, more high-quality projects will be launched and advanced technologies will be introduced in Anhui, where there is no dearth of good policies for good projects, no lack of good scenarios for good applications, and no shortage of talent for good ideas."

Wang Chuanfu, BYD's chairman and president, said at the event that he was inspired by Han's speech, and will increase the company's investment in Anhui.

The company has set up its biggest global NEV production base in the provincial capital Hefei, and new power battery and key parts manufacturing bases in Wuhu, Bengbu, Chuzhou and Fuyang, as well as more than 140 sales service centers. BYD's investment in Anhui so far has reached about 70 billion yuan ($9.6 billion).

BYD produced half of the province's NEVs from January to March, and hired 28,000 new employees there since the beginning of this year.

The company debuted its new Qin L and Seal 06 models, both produced in Hefei, during the exhibition. "Anhui is a place of charm, an emerging industrial powerhouse and the only province covered by both integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the national strategy for the development of Central China. It has substantial latent potential and robust momentum, and is at a crucial stage of significant development," Wang said.

Chery Automobile Co, headquartered in Wuhu city, earned 300 billion yuan in sales revenue last year. In the first quarter of this year, it sold 530,000 automobiles, up 60 percent year-on-year. Sales of NEVs surged 124 percent year-on-year. The company exported 253,000 vehicles — the highest for any Chinese auto brand — to more than 80 countries and regions.

It signed an agreement with Spain's automaker Ebro-EV Motors on April 19 to develop NEVs through a joint venture in Barcelona. This will make Chery the first Chinese automaker to produce vehicles in Europe. On Thursday, the Chinese automaker signed a cooperation agreement with Nvidia in the field of autonomous 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 Tongyue, Chery's chairman of the board.

The company, he said, will focus on technological innovation to promote high-quality development of Anhui.