China Automobile Industry, Technology (NEV, Driverless, etc): News & Images

[TaiShang]

China has one million new energy vehicles
Xinhua, August 14, 2017

The number of new energy vehicles in China has reached 1.01 million, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Sunday.

A total of 825,000 of them were electric vehicles, and the other 193,000 were hybrid electric vehicles, said the ministry's traffic management bureau.

In order to better identify the vehicles, the MPS designated five pilot cities in which 76,000 exclusive green license plates were distributed for new energy vehicles in 2016. The exclusive license plates will cover all Chinese cities by the first half of 2018, the MPS said.

The production and sales volume of new energy vehicles is expected to surpass 5 million by 2020, according to the ministry.

China has one million new energy vehicles
Xinhua, August 14, 2017

The number of new energy vehicles in China has reached 1.01 million, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Sunday.

A total of 825,000 of them were electric vehicles, and the other 193,000 were hybrid electric vehicles, said the ministry's traffic management bureau.

In order to better identify the vehicles, the MPS designated five pilot cities in which 76,000 exclusive green license plates were distributed for new energy vehicles in 2016. The exclusive license plates will cover all Chinese cities by the first half of 2018, the MPS said.

The production and sales volume of new energy vehicles is expected to surpass 5 million by 2020, according to the ministry.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese car-maker explores Indonesian market

Xinhua, August 22, 2017

On China's rural and urban roads, one vehicle can be seen almost everywhere: the Wuling minibus.

Manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. (SGMW), the budget minibuses can take both passengers and a large amount of goods, making them a popular choice among commercial Chinese drivers.

Assured of its popularity in China, SGMW is expanding overseas. A factory in the town of Cikarang, Indonesia, opened last month, producing a new model, the Confero S, specially designed with the Indonesian market, currently dominated by Japanese brands.

"Chinese car-makers must build local factories if they want to expand overseas," said SGMW vice general manager Shen Yunxiao.

In 2002, when the joint venture was established, production was barely 100,000 cars a year. In 2004, SGMW began exporting via shareholder GM Chevrolet's channels and broke into markets in South America, the Middle East and Africa. It then started exporting technology to GM factories in Egypt and India.

From 2011 to 2016, SGMW exported close to 138,000 vehicles to more than 40 countries, making it the biggest minibus exporter in China.

Construction of the company's Indonesian works began in 2015 at a cost of 700 million U.S. dollars. The project covers 60-hectares and is expected to produce 120,000 cars each year. The factory has also attracted many auto-part companies to Indonesia, generating about 3,000 jobs.

SGMW has teamed up with a vocational school in Liuzhou, an industrial city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and home to the company's HQ, to train more than 300 Indonesian workers over the next three years.

Fernando Habel Alexza Inkiriwang has been studying automechanics in Liuzhou City Vocational College (LCVC) for ten months. Most of his classes are in Chinese. Each student studies at LCVC for about two years before going back to Indonesia for a year's apprenticeship before beginning work.

According to LCVC, graduates earn more than 2,000 yuan (300 U.S. dollars) per month during their apprenticeship, the standard for basic automobile workers there, but they earn much more after they become qualified.

"With skills, and knowledge of Chinese, graduates will manage other workers. They will also act as a channel between Indonesian and Chinese staff," said Tang Chunjie, in charge of the program at the LCVC.

In 2015, the program enrolled 63 students; in 2016, the number rose to more than 120.

 

[JSCh]

Spotlight: Made-in-China buses roll deeper into Europe on wave of innovation
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 19:26:46|Editor: An



by Jin Jing, Wen Xiqiang, Zhan Xiaoqi

LONDON, Aug. 22, (Xinhua) -- Europeans are chasing a new fashion to take China-designed new energy coaches as a fresh means of transportation as Europe strengthens its efforts to fight gas emission.

Amid fierce competition, Chinese new energy car manufacturers have won favor from European clients thanks to their fashionable look, reliable quality and reasonable prices.

In 2016, China manufactured and sold over 28 million vehicles, ranked No. 1 globally for eight consecutive years. More importantly, the annual production of new energy vehicles in China has surpassed 517,000, with the BYD, for instance, exporting its coaches and battery technology to more than 50 countries around the world.

BIG SUCCESS IN BRITAIN

Chinese carmaker BYD has succeeded in deploying its electric coaches in London, Liverpool and Nottingham since it partnered with the Britain's biggest coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) in 2015 and got an initial order of 51 buses from the London transport authority.

At Waterloo station in central London, passengers are lining up to take Bus 521, one of the routes in London with green buses powered by BYD battery and technology.

"It's quite cool. It's a lot quicker and a lot nicer than the tube... It should be a better option over others who move on the transportation," said Lora Jarrett who enjoys taking such buses.

Dan Gill, another commuter who has been taking this bus for about two years, said he strongly favored electric buses for environmental concerns.

"It is smooth and comfortable... It is clearly a lot better for the local environment, in terms of the pollution compared to diesel ones." Gill said, adding that he looks forward to more electric buses in London.

"We believe that the BYD's battery and related technology are state of the art currently and importantly are well proven in thousands of their pure electric buses in service around the world," John Trayner, general manager of British public transportation operator Go-Ahead, told Xinhua.

Trayner said his company is satisfied with the performance of these coaches and it just ordered another 47 buses following the last contract in 2015.

According to the BYD, the company has already received orders for 201 electric coaches in the Britain, and the BYD's electric buses have taken up 70 percent of electric coaches in London and 43 percent in Britain.

"The combination of the BYD's electric power-train and batteries and the ADL's bodywork provides us with high quality buses which have proved reliable in operation," said Trayner.

POPULAR BEYOND BRITAIN

It is not just in Britain that Chinese buses are welcomed. China-designed coaches have also been running on the streets of Netherlands and Bulgaria, proven to be a reliable and economical alternative for transportation.

In 2016, a batch of 110 buses from another leading Chinese bus maker, Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co., was successfully delivered to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria in the southeast of Europe.

Slav Monov, executive director of Sofia autobus company Stolichen Autotransport Plc, described Chinese buses as very cost efficient, economical, safe and comfortable. A total of 110 Chinese coaches have gone into service on eight lines in Sofia.

The diesel buses order of nearly 20 million U.S. dollars was taken through a public procurement procedure, and the buses have been carrying about a quarter of the customers of Stolichen Autotransport, Monov told Xinhua.

He said the buses, made by Yutong, are a very good balanced product with the best price-quality ratio, adding his company was looking for the best price-quality ratio in order to serve a greater number of residents.

This approach was particularly important for a developing economy like Bulgaria's, Monov said.

Zdravko Dimitrov, an engineer responsible for the technical maintenance of these buses in Sofia, said, "Those coaches from China gives stable performance with full consideration for all passengers and the cost of maintenance is affordable."

WIN WITH QUALITY

The success of Chinese buses in the European market stems from high quality, advanced technology and aftersales services.

Buses from China are manufactured strictly according to the standards of the European Union where rigorous standards on vehicle emission are implemented.

"Considering the UK now is undergoing a revolution of clean air, the electric coaches from China have proved to be more economical and environment-friendly than diesel ones. In fact, the electricity those coaches need is lower than the manufacturer predicted," said Trayner.

Britain announced last month that sales of new diesel and gas cars would be banned by 2040, offering new possibilities to leading new energy car manufacturers like the BYD amid Europe's battle against the environmental pollution by the internal combustion engine.

Tim Jackson, British CEO of public transport operator RATP, said a thorough evaluation has been carried out before his company decided to select the BYD-ADL product for launching the electric operations in London.

"This would help us better fulfil the company's promise of saving energy and reducing gas emission," Jackson said.

 

[Jlaw]

Chinese car-maker explores Indonesian market

Xinhua, August 22, 2017

On China's rural and urban roads, one vehicle can be seen almost everywhere: the Wuling minibus.

Manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. (SGMW), the budget minibuses can take both passengers and a large amount of goods, making them a popular choice among commercial Chinese drivers.

Assured of its popularity in China, SGMW is expanding overseas. A factory in the town of Cikarang, Indonesia, opened last month, producing a new model, the Confero S, specially designed with the Indonesian market, currently dominated by Japanese brands.

"Chinese car-makers must build local factories if they want to expand overseas," said SGMW vice general manager Shen Yunxiao.

In 2002, when the joint venture was established, production was barely 100,000 cars a year. In 2004, SGMW began exporting via shareholder GM Chevrolet's channels and broke into markets in South America, the Middle East and Africa. It then started exporting technology to GM factories in Egypt and India.

From 2011 to 2016, SGMW exported close to 138,000 vehicles to more than 40 countries, making it the biggest minibus exporter in China.

Construction of the company's Indonesian works began in 2015 at a cost of 700 million U.S. dollars. The project covers 60-hectares and is expected to produce 120,000 cars each year. The factory has also attracted many auto-part companies to Indonesia, generating about 3,000 jobs.

SGMW has teamed up with a vocational school in Liuzhou, an industrial city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and home to the company's HQ, to train more than 300 Indonesian workers over the next three years.

Fernando Habel Alexza Inkiriwang has been studying automechanics in Liuzhou City Vocational College (LCVC) for ten months. Most of his classes are in Chinese. Each student studies at LCVC for about two years before going back to Indonesia for a year's apprenticeship before beginning work.

According to LCVC, graduates earn more than 2,000 yuan (300 U.S. dollars) per month during their apprenticeship, the standard for basic automobile workers there, but they earn much more after they become qualified.

"With skills, and knowledge of Chinese, graduates will manage other workers. They will also act as a channel between Indonesian and Chinese staff," said Tang Chunjie, in charge of the program at the LCVC.

In 2015, the program enrolled 63 students; in 2016, the number rose to more than 120.

I've seen Indonesian workers work and nothing to brag about.

 

[JSCh]

Hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars to be produced in Zhangjiakou to serve 2022 Winter Olympics
By Zhang Huan (People's Daily Online) 10:26, September 02, 2017

Hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars will be produced in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei province, to serve the 2022 Winter Olympics to be jointly hosted by the city with Beijing, as an automatic production line of hydrogen fuel cell engines recently went operation, Beijing Daily reported on Sept. 1.

The production base established with an investment of 1 billion RMB ($152 million) by Beijing SinoHytec Co., Ltd is projected to manufacture 10,000 vehicles a year after construction of all production lines is completed in 2018.

The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, with a maximum range of 500 kilometers, can be started at even 30 degrees Celsius below zero, and can be stored at even lower temperatures, which means the vehicles are suitable for the winter weather in Zhangjiakou.

Li Jianqiu, a professor at Tsinghua University, noted that, compared with traditional vehicles that consumes 6 to 8 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers at a cost of 40 to 50 RMB, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle consumes only 1 kilogram of hydrogen at a cost of 30 RMB.

About 2.04 million diesel trucks in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are believed to discharge some 6.48 million tons of pollutants each year, while the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce zero emissions and are thus environmentally friendly.

In addition, the hydrogen used as fuel for the vehicles can be discharged in a timely fashion, which ensures safety of the vehicles.

Zhangjiakou is advantageous for developing hydrogen energy as it has a demonstration zone of renewable energy and the world’s largest wind power hydrogen production. Producing hydrogen with wind power not only lowers costs, but makes efficient use of the surplus wind power of more than 10 billion kilowatts of the city on a yearly basis.

 

[JSCh]

Will China stop producing fuel-consumed vehicles?
CGTN
2017-09-10 14:16 GMT+8

Xin Guobin, vice minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) revealed on Saturday that as new energy vehicles (NEVs) experience fast development, China will set a deadline to stop the sale of gas-powered automobiles while pushing companies to speed up efforts to produce electric vehicles for the world’s biggest auto market.

“The ministry has begun studying the industry and will begin making a timeline for when the country will stop making and selling gas-powered automobiles,” said Xin.

“The measures will help propel profound changes in our country’s automobile industry,” Xin said at an international forum on the industry’s development in Tianjin over the weekend.

China Daily Photo​

China has become the world’s largest producing and consuming market of NEVs since 2015, according to MIIT. The International Energy Agency says China accounts for more than 40 percent of total electric cars sold worldwide.

Carl Benz in 1886 submitted a patent for his motor car which is powered by a gas engine, marking the birth of modern automobiles. It has changed the way of mobility throughout today, but that trend is being re-written by zero emission vehicles.

China isn’t the only one planning to ban gas-powered cars, auto giant country Germany’s federal council, the Bundesrat, had already passed a resolution calling for a ban on combustion fossil fueled cars.

VCG Photo​

Now India, France, Britain, and Norway have all planned to ditch diesel cars in favor of cleaner vehicles.

For Britain, all automobiles on the road will need to have zero emissions by 2050. For France, the government says it wants to ban sales of gas powered vehicles by the end of 2040.

For India, the government said that every car sold in India should be powered by electricity by 2030. For Norway, the country’s plan on improving the environment is even sooner. All new passenger cars and vans sold should have zero emissions by 2025.

China has toughened up on subsidies given to NEV buyers and makers, but that does not signal cooling sales of the NEV market. “The market will play the driving force, not the government,” said Wu Wei, Director of the Industry Coordination Department of the National Development and Reform Commission.

“The goal is having companies drop dependence on subsidiaries, so they can face market competition,” Wu said.

 

[TaiShang]

China auto sales rise 5.3% in August

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-09-12 09:37

A visitor and his child try out a new car at an auto show in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's auto sales continued to increase in August, evidence of the steady growth of the world's largest car market, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed Monday.


Some 2.19 million vehicles were sold last month, up 5.3 percent year on year, maintaining momentum in July that saw sales rise 6.2 percent.

Meanwhile, 2.09 million vehicles were produced in August, up 4.8 percent from the same period last year, according to the CAAM.

In the first eight months, total auto output and sales increased by 4.7 percent and 4.3 percent year on year to 17.68 million and 17.51 million vehicles, respectively.

The market share of domestic brands went up 5.3 percent year on year in August, said the CAAM.

Sales and production of new energy vehicles maintained fast growth. Some 72,000 new energy vehicles were produced in August, up 67.3 percent year on year, and 68,000 were sold, up 76.3 percent from the same period last year.

Earlier data from the China Passenger Car Association showed China sold 54,000 new energy passenger cars last month, surging 25 percent month on month.

The robust growth came as China has intensified efforts to encourage the use of new energy vehicles to ease pressure on the environment, by offering tax exemptions and discounts for car purchases, and ordering government organizations to buy more new energy cars.

China has been the world's largest car market for eight consecutive years.

 

[qwerrty]

New LiDAR Product Designed to Enable Real-World Autonomous Car Applications
September 7, 2017 | ACN Newswire


O-Net Technologies launched in Shenzhen its next generation cost-effective light detection and ranging (LiDAR) product PANDA, which is a new pulsed laser product platform capable of 1550nm LiDAR autonomous navigation, 3D mapping and remote sensing ideal for autonomous car applications.

The launch ceremony of PANDA was attended by industry experts, business leaders as well as key representatives from leading global technology and automobile companies including a leading internet and web service giant in China, a Hong Kong- and Shenzhen-listed Chinese manufacturer of automobiles and rechargeable batteries, and a global fables semiconductor and IC design company based in Shenzhen.

Mr. Austin Na, Chairman and CEO of O-Net, said at the ceremony, "We are excited about the launch of PANDA, a cost-effective next generation product, which marks a new milestone to O-Net's LiDAR product development. With the support of our vertically integrated operational structure and proven expertise, we are confident of supporting multiple LiDAR applications and producing more compact units at cost that allows mass market deployment. We are set to become a major LiDAR technology supplier for the rapidly growing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) market. We will continue to innovate and integrate key components for product size reduction and cost enhancement that we will provide highly reliable and dependable products that can match customers' performance and price expectations."

PANDA is a new kind of Pulsed Laser for LiDAR applications and is based on 1550nm fiber laser architecture for improved resolution, range, eye safety, low power consumption and in a cost-effective package, which are key requirements of the sensing systems in Level 5 autonomous vehicles. PANDA's 1550nm fiber laser architecture is free from all performance shortcomings of current 905nm LD technology-based LiDARs. PANDA is small, lightweight, very reliable and rugged, promising to withstand all weather conditions that autonomous vehicles will be exposed to. The PANDA module measures only 9cm x 9cm X 3cm thick, weighs less than 400 grams and is designed to exceed the demands of the most challenging real-world autonomous navigation, remote sensing and 3D mapping.

O-Net, one of the world's largest companies for Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers ("EDFA"), and supplier of 980nm pump lasers worldwide, has fully integrated capability for 1550nm Pulsed Laser for LiDAR, from system design, laser chip manufacturing, subcomponent manufacture and volume assembly in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, scalable for meeting the demands of the dynamic and fast-growing market.

"PANDA, having completed the qualification process, has moved into full production. Several hundred PANDA units will be deployed this year in autonomous cars equipped with prototype LiDAR systems and O-Net will scale up production in 2018 and beyond, as customer demand for the product is increasing. We are confident that PANDA will become one of our key growth drivers in coming years and we will continue to develop cost-effective LiDAR products to meet the growing global demand for them," Mr. Na concluded.

http://www.iconnect007.com/index.php/article/106281/new-lidar-product-designed-to-enable-real-world-autonomous-car-applications/106284/?skin=ein

 

[onebyone]

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/...hina-and-it-is-a-defacto-global-deadline.html
China will set a date that will be the end of fossil fuel cars globally

China will set a deadline for automakers to end sales of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, becoming the biggest market to do so in a move that will accelerate the push into the electric car market led by companies including BYD Co. and BAIC Motor Corp. The deadline date is still to be decided but current speculation is in the 2040-2050 timeframe.

Xin Guobin, the vice minister of industry and information technology, said the government is working with other regulators on a timetable to end production and sales. The move will have a profound impact on the environment and growth of China’s auto industry, Xin said at an auto forum in Tianjin on Saturday.

The world’s second-biggest economy, which has vowed to cap its carbon emissions by 2030 and curb worsening air pollution, is the latest to join countries such as the U.K. and France seeking to phase out vehicles using gasoline and diesel.

The U.K. said in July it will ban sales of diesel- and gasoline-fueled cars by 2040, two weeks after France announced a similar plan to reduce air pollution and meet targets to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Norway and the Netherlands are considering a more aggressive way to put an end on fossil fuel cars years earlier than its European peers.

Mercedes-Benz is the latest automaker to embrace electrification, announcing that it will be electrifying its entire vehicle lineup by 2022. Mercedes-Benz chief Dieter Zetsche said that the car maker will offer either hybrid or fully electric versions of its vehicles by 2022, adding up to a total of a minimum of 50 new electric model options by that time. Smart, meanwhile, another Daimler-owned sub-brand, will go fully electric by 2020.

Volkswagen AG plans to build electric versions of all 300 models in the 12-brand group’s lineup. The German auto giant laid out the enormity of the task ahead, vowing to spend 20 billion euros ($24 billion) by 2030 to roll out the cars and earmarked another 50 billion euros to buy the batteries needed to power the vehicles.

By 2025, VW aims to have 50 purely battery-powered vehicles and 30 hybrid models in its lineup, with a goal of selling as many as 3 million all-electric cars by then. The transformation will pick up speed after that to reach the 2030 goal as economies of scale and better infrastructure help bring down prices and accelerate sales.

 

[cirr]

Chinese autos launched at Frankfurt's car show

2017-09-13 16:57

China Daily Editor: Liang Meichen

Chery Auto's showroom opens to public during press day at Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday. (Photo/China Daily)

Chery and Great Wall unveil compact SUVs aimed at European, US markets

In the past, Chinese automakers may have regarded major international auto events as means to raise their profile beyond their home market, but now it seems they have more practical aims.

With China planning to adopt one of the world's strictest standards on vehicle emissions to reduce air pollution, carmakers have to produce mass production models that meet standards at home and abroad.

At this year's Frankfurt Motor Show－or 2017 IAA- two private automakers from China, the world's largest auto market, presented new models seeking export markets.

Chery Automotive is one of China's most successful homegrown carmakers which for 20 years has been building up to launching its first global car.

Chery－also China's leading vehicle exporter -announced it will start an all-new model line of passenger cars globally, with plan for sales in Europe within the next few years under a nameplate EXEED.

The automaker said the first model to go on sale across Europe will be a compact sport utility vehicle producer, called EXEED TX, which was revealed in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

Chery said it is evaluating the sales opportunity in key markets ahead of setting up a European sales operation in cooperation with the company's import and distribution partners.

The company said it plans to sell a range of hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles.

It is also planning to establish new research and design facilities in Europe.

Also presenting in Frankfurt is Great Wall Motor, China's largest SUV producer.

It unveiled six SUV models under its high-end brand Wey－four of them made their global debut, including a concept one. All are new-energy models.

Great Wall Chairman Wei Jianjun said: "Not only in China, I believe the Chinese brands will perform very well in the world."

He said Wey will enter the North American market in 2021 with two or three mid-size or compact SUV models. The company also plans to build factories to manufacture the cars locally. It is currently searching for locations.

Zhang Yu, managing director of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight Co, said he believes Chinese auto makers are more confident with their products, because of the improved performance of made-in-China vehicles in tests, as well as the upcoming National VI emission standard, which is stricter than Euro 6.

"This time is the real action," Zhang said.

The implementation of new emissions standards in 2019 and 2020 means automakers must produce cars suitable not only for China, but also for Europe and the United States.

However, Zhang said he thinks it will not be easy for them to build a distribution networks in Europe.

Peter Hage, founding partner at auto consulting firm Districom Group, said the main challenge that Chinese automakers facing in overseas markets is building fully international brands and distribution networks in the U.S. and Europe.

Also, the efficient longterm management of increasing complexity across product development, new technologies, international expansion will be a major challenge, Hage said.

"Different customer expectations must be met in terms of vehicle design, quality and performance, as well as overall customer experience management," he added.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/09-13/273473.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese brands outstrip rivals in market share
By Li Fusheng | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-25

Workers assemble auto parts destined for Geely models at a production line of an engine company in Zhejiang province. [Photo by Lyv Bin/For China Daily]


Chinese automakers are gaining an increasingly larger market share of their home market, but industry insiders said they should not be overly optimistic as there is still a long way to go.

More than 6.38 million China-branded passenger cars were sold from January to August, 4.8 percent growth year-on-year. That's more than double the growth rate of the passenger car sector as a whole, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Chinese brands seized 43.2 percent of the market share in the period, far higher than the runner-up, as German carmakers' products accounted for 20.5 percent of the market.

Yang Xueliang, vice-president of Geely Group, believes the upward trend will go further.

"If the momentum continues, Chinese brands are likely to have a 50 percent or even 60 percent market share in the long run," Yang said at a Chinese brands-themed automotive forum in Shandong province last week.

Geely is one of the fastest-growing Chinese automakers in China. In the first eight months this year, it sold 718,000 new cars, surging 88 percent year-on-year.

Geely now owns Swedish brand Volvo and Malaysia's Proton, and has unveiled its own brand Lynk & Co, aiming to compete with international brands such as GM and Volkswagen.

At Changan Automobile, which has partnerships with Ford, Suzuki and Mazda, the international brand cars accounted for roughly 45 percent of the group's total sales last year, according to Li Wei, its vice-president.

"Our Changan-branded cars took 55 percent. Our own brand is rising within the group, so we feel that Chinese brands as a whole are full of hope too."

Wang Xia, chairman of the Automotive Industry Committee of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said Chinese brands have seized the opportunity and realized rapid growth, but they should not be complacent about what they have achieved. "Instead, they should prepare for a tug of war with international brands over a long period of time," he said.

Wang was echoed by Lu Qun, chairman of Qiantu Motor, an electric carmaker. Lu said he believes that Chinese brands could even raise their market share to 50 percent, but there is a long way to go before really getting established.

"How do we make our brands more attractive? How do we offer customers good value for money? And how do we offer them better experiences? We need to find out answers to those questions," Lu said.

Zhang Xiyong, general manager of BAIC Group, said Chinese carmakers still lag behind international big names in the industry in terms of quality and other competitive factors.

He said there were six automotive companies in the list of the 2016 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands but none of them were Chinese.

Zhang suggested that Chinese companies should try to go global if they want to become global brands.

China sold 800,000 cars overseas last year, a meager 3 percent of what it sold in the domestic market.

As the Belt and Road Initiative has become widely accepted, there is huge potential overseas, said Zhang.

However, he suggested that in China, Chinese automakers should shift their focus from large cities to smaller ones, as people there are becoming major consumer groups.

Xiang Xingchu, general manager of JAC Motors, said Chinese companies should each create their own individual features to appeal to their target customers.

"It is not possible to sell your cars to everyone. Find your target customers and they will be large enough," said Xiang.

"Some say their cars are sporty, some say they excel in safety and some others say they offer premium cars. But aren't premium cars safe? Yes they are. But as a company you have to map out a different route of development."

Xiang said now is one of the best times for Chinese brands, as customers are becoming more reasonable, with growing confidence in Chinese brands.

In addition, the authorities are promulgating stricter requirements in fuel consumption and quality, which are forcing Chinese carmakers to do a better job, he said.

Fu Yuwu, chief of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, believes new energy cars and connected cars could prove to be sectors where Chinese carmakers can gain an upper hand.

"We have the absolute advantage in smart and connected cars. China is strongly addicted to the internet, even more so than the United States. So I think that if we can make breakthroughs in electric cars as well as smart and connected cars, and if we can introduce business model innovations, then we will have the chance of creating miracles for the Chinese car industry."

 

[TaiShang]

Geely Revs Up Stake in Danish Financial Company

By Yang Ge

Automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. plans to increase its ownership stake in Denmark’s Saxo Bank Group, a self-described “multi-asset trading and financial-technology firm,” from 30% to 51.5%. Photo: IC

Domestic car maker Geely will boost its ownership of Denmark’s Saxo Bank Group to a controlling stake, extending a recent foray by private Chinese investors into the European financial services sector.

Following its original purchase of 30% of Saxo in May, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd., whose assets include the Swedish Volvo car brand, will buy more shares to raise its stake to 51.5%, Saxo said in a statement on Monday. Saxo, which describes itself as a “multi-asset trading and financial-technology firm,” said northern European financial services firm Sampo Group has also offered to buy up to another 19.9% of the company.

http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-10-03/101153171.html

 

[JSCh]

Chinese automaker BYD unveils North America's largest electric bus factory
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-07 08:16:21|Editor: Liangyu



LANCASTER, the United States, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese carmaker BYD unveiled Friday its expanded battery-electric bus manufacturing facility, North America's largest, in the U.S. city of Lancaster in southern California.

BYD, which stands for "Build Your Dreams," is also the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries. The company's electric bus, supported by its solar panels, LED lighting and energy-efficient technologies, is able to run over 248 kilometers after a single charge, which is among the longest in the world.

This expansion is an addition of a new wing to the current BYD Coach and Bus space, bringing the total manufacturing facility to nearly 42,000 square meters (450,000 square ft), quadrupling the size of its facility from its initial 2013 footprint.

The growth of BYD Coach and Bus reflects a rapid transition to electric transportation and will allow BYD to build up to 1,500 battery-electric buses annually.

"As BYD continues to develop cutting-edge technology that helps transform the transportation industry here in the Antelope Valley and around the country, this investment will help create jobs in our community, keep Lancaster on the forefront of technological advancement, and put emission-free vehicles on our streets," U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy said Friday in the BYD's grand opening celebration.

Lancaster, a community of more than 156,000 inhabitants since 2013, boasts more than 350 days of sunshine per year, making it the ideal place to pioneer new solar energy technologies.

BYD's manufacturing facility is powered 100 percent by renewable energy, which is provided by the City of Lancaster's Energy Company, Lancaster Choice Energy.

Since BYD established its U.S. electric bus manufacturing capabilities in Los Angeles County, the company has created nearly 800 full-time jobs throughout the state. This manufacturing facility expansion will enable BYD to hire up to 1,200 full-time workers at top production-line capacity, according to BYD.

"I am very excited about the company's growth," Guillermo Garcia, who has been working for BYD's manufacturing facility in Lancaster since 2013, told Xinhua. "We started here with 7 employees, and I was one of them. Compared to 4 years ago, it's a big change."

"BYD has really saved my life... Now I have a roof for my family, I have food for my family," said Garcia, "and future is definitely full of hope."

 

[cirr]

E-car segment revs up to push throttle full forward

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/10-09/276220.shtml

2017-10-09 08:46 China Daily Editor: Mo Hong'e

Workers carry an electric car battery at the production line of an e-carmaker in Zhejiang province. (Photo provided to China Daily)

As gasoline vehicles may be phased out, action heats up even on bourses where some shares are up

Potential end to sales of gasoline cars in China could benefit makers of electric cars, and suppliers of spare parts and power management solutions in the long run, analysts said.

In fact, ever since talk started about a gradual shift to e-vehicles, shares in e-car companies fluctuated significantly.

Policymakers have been hinting at a possible timeframe soon for phasing out cars that use gasoline as fuel from the China market.

For instance, Xin Guobin, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at a news conference in early September that authorities are studying a timetable for stopping sales of gasoline cars in China.

At another conference on power and battery development, Xin said that the development of high-efficiency special batteries is key to the development of e-vehicles in China.

Wang Chuanfu, president of BYD, China's largest e-car maker, said in a recent interview that he estimated sales of gasoline cars will likely end in 2030.

According to Wind Information Technology, a market information provider, investors may have traded in shares of e-vehicle makers to the tune of 2 billion yuan ($301.6 million) to 5 billion yuan in the last two weeks of September, in the run-up to the week-long National Holiday.

Shares in e-car market leaders and battery suppliers outperformed other auto industry labels. For instance, shares in Shenzhen-listed BYD, rose almost 44 percent from 48.29 yuan on Sept 1 to 69.51 yuan on Sept 27.

According to a report by China International Capital Corporation Limited or CICC, large-scale production of e-vehicles and a bigger market share in the overall mobility market are inevitable in the next few years.

"Ending sales of gasoline cars is a global trend, and China is not going to fall behind," the report said.

Norway and the Netherlands have announced they will end sales of gasoline cars in 2025. Germany and India will do so in 2030, and the UK and France in 2040.

Sales revenue of e-vehicles in China has been growing fast. Policymakers are setting ambitious goals for further expanding the market share of such vehicles in the entire mobility sector.

In 2016, e-vehicles accounted for some 1.8 percent of all vehicles in China. A plan set by MIIT said their market share shall be increased to 5 percent in 2020 and 20 percent in 2025.

Sales volume of e-vehicles is estimated to climb from 507,000 units in 2016 to 2 million in 2020 and further grow to 5 million in 2025.

Policies will encourage purchase and use of e-vehicles in China. For example, buyers would be offered free car plates in megacities. In contrast, gasoline car owners may need to pay more than 80,000 yuan for a plate at auctions in Shanghai.

Such incentives will likely further help increase market share of e-vehicles, said a bluepaper on the China market by Fitch Ratings.

In the longer term, however, development of e-vehicles in China depends on battery technology improvements and infrastructure like charging networks, said the paper.

 

[TaiShang]

China auto sales rise 5.7% in September

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-10-13

BEIJING — China's auto sales increased 5.7 percent year-on-year in September, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed Thursday.

Some 2.71 million vehicles were sold last month, maintaining the momentum from August, when year-on-year sales rose by 5.3 percent.

Production was also up, with 2.67 million vehicles produced in September, a 5.5 percent increase on the same period last year, according to the CAAM.

In the first nine months, total auto output and sales increased by 4.8 percent and 4.5 percent year-on-year to 20.35 million and 20.23 million vehicles, respectively.

Some 78,000 new energy vehicles were sold last month, a year-on-year jump of 79.1 percent and up from 76.3 percent in August, taking sales growth for the January-September period up to 37.7 percent.

The growth comes as China encourages the use of new energy vehicles to ease pressure on the environment, with tax exemptions and discounts for car purchases, and ordering government organizations to buy new energy vehicles.

Passenger cars sales were up by 3.3 percent to 2.34 million in the month, bringing the total sales in the first nine months up to 17.15 million, 2.4 percent higher than the same period last year.

Sales of passenger cars produced by Chinese brands amounted to 966,000, down 0.9 percent year-on-year in September, said the CAAM.

Auto exports also increased in September, up 38.9 percent from the same period of 2016 to 83,000, while total exports in the first nine months grew to 623,000, up 26.3 percent year-on-year.

China has been the world's largest car market for eight years.