Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SHANGHAI, May 4 (Xinhua) — Shanghai-based Chinese automaker SAIC Motor on Thursday signed an agreement to set up a plant to produce vehicles and auxiliary battery units for its new electric vehicle (EV) brand, developed jointly with telecom giant Huawei, in the Lingang New Area of China’s Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ).
According to SAIC Motor, the plant’s production capacity at the initial stage of the project will be about 250,000 vehicles per year.
The move follows a partnership formed earlier this year between SAIC Motor and Huawei. In February this year, the two companies signed an in-depth cooperation agreement to jointly launch the SAIC Shangjie brand.
Tech giant Huawei is already collaborating with four other EV brands, namely AITO, Luxeed, Stelato and Maextro, under its Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA). Tech support from Huawei, such as adaptive driver assistance and AI cockpit solutions, has given new impetus to partner automakers.
SAIC Shangjie brand products will be equipped with Huawei’s intelligent mobility solutions, said Zhu Yong, head of SAIC ShangJie, adding that the intelligent electric vehicles will target the mid- to high-end market, with customers mainly including household consumers and young office workers.
The first model under this brand is a mainstream SUV priced at around 200,000 /around $27,800/, which is expected to hit the market this fall. The SUV will be available in two versions: a pure electric version and an extended range version. The pure electric model will have a range of over 600 km on a full charge.
By joining the HIMA family, SAIC Shangjie brand will help further lower the price range of cars co-developed with Huawei to 200,000 yuan to better tap the vast market, Zhu Yong said.
SAIC Shangjie’s project is expected to increase the scale of the already leading new energy vehicle (NEV) industry in Lingang New Area, home to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, to 300 billion yuan, said Li Xiangcun, an official with the Lingang New Area Administrative Committee.
Currently, there are more than 200 automobile-related companies in the Lingang New Area, forming an ecosystem covering automobile production, research, development and testing. -0-