China Auto Daily丨Changan, Unicom and Huawei co-built the Changan Digital Intelligent Factory

September saw a stronger demand for high-end vehicles in China, while the global electric vehicle August sales soared. Changan's new digital factory began operations, and KG Mobility signed a partnership with Chery for future mobility technologies.

China Automotive News · 2024-10-22

September Sees Diverging Demand in China's Auto Market

According to a recent statement by Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, retail performance in China’s passenger car market was strong in September 2024, driven by the government's scrapping and renewal subsidy policy. However, the market showed a dichotomy in consumer behavior, with low-end consumption sluggish and high-end consumption robust. The B-segment performed well in the sedan market, while the SUV segment saw significant strength in high-end models, outpacing last year’s performance in the B and C segments.

Global Electric Vehicle Sales Surge in August

CleanTechnica reported that August 2024 saw a sharp rise in global electric vehicle (EV) sales. Approximately 1.465 million EVs were sold, including both pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, marking a 9% month-over-month increase and a 19% year-on-year surge. Pure electric vehicle sales grew by 6% year-on-year to almost 1 million units, whereas plug-in hybrid vehicle sales skyrocketed by 51%, reaching close to 500,000 units.

Changan Opens State-of-the-Art Digital Factory

On October 21, Changan Automobile, in collaboration with Unicom and Huawei, inaugurated its digital factory, "Changan Digital Intelligent Factory." With an investment of 10 billion yuan, the factory employs 5G connectivity for digital twins and real-time monitoring, enhancing manufacturing efficiency by 20%, reducing costs by 20%, and lowering carbon emissions by 19%. The factory’s first vehicle to roll off the production line was the Avatr 07, which comes equipped with Huawei’s QianKun Smart Driving ADS 3.0 and HarmonyOS 4.0 car system.

Changan’s Qiyuan E07 Launch at 199,900 yuan

On October 21, Changan debuted the Qiyuan E07 model with a starting price of 199,900 yuan, offering both extended-range and pure electric options. Built on the SDA architecture, the pure electric version offers single and dual motor configurations with a maximum output of 252 kW and 365 N•m for the single motor, and 440 kW and 645 N•m for the dual motor variant. The pure electric versions come with an 89.98 kWh battery, offering a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.96 seconds and a range of 701 km for the dual motor and 651km for the single motor model.

KG Mobility Partners with Chery for Future Mobility Technologies

On October 21, South Korean automaker KG Mobility announced a strategic partnership with Chery Automobile to advance future mobility technologies. The collaboration aims to expedite the development timeline for new models, expand vehicle lineups, and adapt to the rapidly evolving automotive market. The partnership will focus on developing mid-sized and large SUVs.