GUANGZHOU City, Guangdong Province,China (Reuters) — New, alternative energy vehicles and intelligent cars were the highlight of the Guangzhou International Auto Show in south China’s Guangdong Province.
The ten-day auto show kicked off on Friday, with 1081 cars on display, including 47 cars that were open to the public for the first time and 25 concept cars. A total of 131 alternative energy cars were presented at the show, accounting for more than ten percent of the total amount.
Great Wall Motors, which has long focused on the traditional sport utility vehicle, also rolled out hybrid electric vehicles. It plans to present more alternative energy products next year.
“These new, alternative energy vehicles are not haphazardly pieced together. We have manufactured them using the utmost quality . Our plan by 2030 is concordant with the international development layout, that is, the simultaneous development of hybrid electric vehicles and full electric ones,” said Wei Jianjun, president of Great Wall Motors.
Besides domestic brands, some foreign automakers have also increased investment in new energy vehicles in China.
“We will invest together with our two joint ventures about ten billion euros in that period to develop these new energy vehicles to industrialize our plans to develop the people and so on. So this is what we’re doing. This is connected with 400,000 new energy vehicles in 2020 and 1.5 million about in 2025,” said Jochem Heizmann, president of Volkswagen Group China.
If alternative energy vehicles bring great changes to the traditional auto industry, this new technology will lead to a total upgrade in the entire industry. The SUV developed by Dongfeng Yulon Motor Co., Ltd., for example, is equipped with an automatic parking system, millimeter-wave radar and other new technologies.
“The intelligent parts, coming from our accumulated experiences, are all embodied in the car for the first time. The car targets the young demographic and those who fancy stylish technology,” said Wu Xinfa, general manager of Dongfeng Yulon Motor Co., Ltd.
Some experts pointed out that Chinese consumers have gradually turned their preference from the appearance of the car to the innovations that the car possesses.
“The technological content and the intelligent technological applications may become the new consumer standard in the auto industry,” said Liu Ming, deputy director of information and industry development of the State Information Center.
