Traditional auto base rides NEV wave

WUHAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- In the city of Shiyan, one of China's automobile manufacturing hubs, a factory is operating at full capacity, producing a car every two minutes, and the demand for their vehicles is so high that orders are booked until the end of the month.

The plant owned by DFSK Motor is equipped with an intelligent coating system and vehicle assembly control system, capable of switching between producing fuel cars and pure electric new energy vehicles (NEVs) with ease.

Shiyan, located in central China's Hubei Province, has fostered a prominent automobile manufacturing industry. Today, the city is riding the wave of NEVs and smart vehicles, capitalizing on its strong automobile production foundation.

In 2022, automakers in Shiyan produced 107,000 NEVs, up 77 percent year on year. Among them, 55,000, or over half, were exported, up 57 percent from the previous year, local statistics showed.

Dongfeng Motor Corporation is one of the major manufacturers in the city. Over the years, the corporation has made a shift from a focus on traditional fuel vehicles to smart NEVs, and from commercial vehicles to passenger vehicles.

Dongfeng Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Corporation, has boosted its "intelligent vehicle factory" by adding a series of new production lines, according to the company.

"After years of innovative research and development, we have obtained 76 patents. They are fully applied to the products, which are exported to Southeast Asia," said Xu Bo, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd.

Relevant companies in the supply chain such as battery plants are also congregating to support the NEV drive.

The construction of an industrial park in the city with a total investment of 24 billion yuan (about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars) is nearing completion. It will focus on projects involving lithium-ion batteries and cathode and anode materials.

Another "smart battery industrial park" is also set to start full operation in June this year, which is expected to generate an annual output of more than 10 billion yuan.

"Industrial transformation is the key to leading the NEV race," said Wang Yonghui, mayor of Shiyan. "We will make every effort to promote the high-end, intelligent, and green development of the industry."