CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, January 20, 2020 MOTORING | 17 BJEV’s new electric Short Torque Charging stations hit models to meet Europe’s highways European automakers’ network of highway charging stations for mobility demands battery­powered vehicles is tak­ ing shape ahead of an expected surge in electric car sales as By LI FUSHENG manufacturers strive to meet new emission limits. Ionity, the BJEV, a subsidiary of China’s Our goal is beyond joint venture created among BAIC Group, is planning to offer automakers to build the net­ around 40 electric models based being No 1 in China. work, said on Thursday it has on three purpose­built platforms We want to grow the completed more than 200 sta­ in 10 years as part of its goal to tions and expects to have 400 become a world­class carmaker, new energy vehicle operating by the end of the year. according to a top executive. industry and give it Each station has 4­6 charging Ma Fanglie, president of BJEV, columns. The highway network said the move will further enrich our best.” is seen as a key step in convin­ cing car buyers they can switch the company’s lineup of models to Ma Fanglie, president of BJEV meet mobility demands. He added to electric vehicles and still take that the vehicles will feature smart long highway trips without wor­ functions and high­level autono­ rying about running out of juice. mous driving. 150,000+ Ma made the remarks last week vehicles Production slides at an event inaugurating the sec­ delivered by BJEV last year in South Korea ond decade of the carmaker, which was established in 2009. South Korea’s car production, BJEV was the first electric car­ Magna International, the Cana­ local sales and exports all maker to go public in China. It has dian automotive supplier, has an declined last year amid the glob­ been the largest electric carmaker even bigger role to play. It has al economic slump, a govern­ by sales for seven years, with total established two joint ventures BMW’s new 7 Series sedan is displayed at the Guangzhou auto show last year. ment report showed on sales exceeding 500,000 units, with BJEV, one specializing in elec­ PHOTOS BY LI FUSHENG / CHINA DAILY Thursday. The number of cars according to the company. tric vehicle design and develop­ produced in domestic factories “Our goal is beyond being No 1 ment, and the other a car­ was 3,951,000 in 2019, down 1.9 in China. We want to grow the new manufacturing plant. percent from the previous year, energy vehicle industry and give it Located in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu according to the Ministry of our best,” Ma said. province, the plant is one of the Trade, Industry and Energy. The China has been the world’s larg­ most advanced manufacturing BMW rolls forward with slide was attributed to the est market for new energy vehicles facilities in China, capable of pro­ adjustment in some of local since 2015. Last year, sales totaled ducing steel and aluminum car plants, partial strikes of GM 1.21 million, accounting for more bodies, according to Arcfox. Korea, a local unit of US car­ than half of the global total, The joint venture brings togeth­ maker General Motors, and a China strategy in 2020 fall in production of Renault according to the statistics of the er Magna’s vehicle engineering China Association of Automobile knowhow and BJEV’s local clout to Samsung. The number of vehi­ Manufacturers. develop next­generation smart German company is now country’s largest premium carmaker cles sold was 1,781,000 last year, Starting with affordable small­ electric vehicle technology for the down 1.8 percent from 2018. sized models, BJEV has tried its Chinese market, BJEV said. best to move upward and has BJEV has also been working By LI FUSHENG carmaker will offer six such vehicles Volvo partners with acquired some satisfactory results. with CATL, China’s largest power [email protected] by the end of the year, including the China Unicom Last year, it delivered more than battery maker, and a supplier of China is not only the China­made iX3 SUV. It will be the 150,000 vehicles, with the larger international carmakers including BMW AG said it will strengthen company’s first electric vehicle that Volvo Cars has signed an agree­ EU series accounting for around BMW and Volkswagen. its China strategy in 2020, as efforts largest single market is made in China but sold globally. ment with telecom giant China 80 percent of the total. Last September, BJEV and CATL to meet local demands have helped for the BMW Group Goller said BMW has set up a net­ Unicom to promote Vehicle to The carmaker said the first mod­ showcased the first BJEV models make it the country’s most popular work of over 400 dealers that sell Everything, or V2X technology el under its high­end Arcfox brand to feature its latest CTP batteries. premium carmaker. worldwide, but also a new energy vehicles and a charging in China, based on 5G technolo­ will hit the market later this year. Wu Kai, CATL’s chief scientist, Battling the downward trend in trendsetter of network composed of 130,000 pub­ gy. Developing 5G­based V2X The brand has a purpose­built said CTP batteries’ energy density the Chinese vehicle market, the Ger­ lic poles. technology will bring smart cars platform, and four models are in will be 15 percent better than con­ man premium automaker delivered innovation and future The figure is expected to hit closer to people and provide the pipeline. ventional ones. But they feature 723,680 BMW and MINI­branded consumer trends.” 250,000 by the end of 2020, covering more possibilities for the future, Lian Qingfeng, BJEV’s spokes­ the components involved are 40 vehicles, up 13.1 percent year­on­ 300 cities across the country. said Yuan Xiaolin, senior vice­ person, said the company is work­ percent less. year, topping the list of premium Jochen Goller, president and The carmaker said 2020 will also president of Volvo Car Group. ing on a model that would beat the BJEV is also an advocate of bat­ vehicle companies in the country. CEO of BMW Group Region be the Year of BMW brand, which V2X refers to the information China Tesla Model S. tery swap technology. Xu Heyi, This was the company’s best­ever will be driven by the introduction of exchanges between vehicles and BAIC said its three major part­ chairman of parent company BAIC sales result since it entered China more M models. the outside environment. With ners — Daimler, Huawei and Magna Group, said it has set up around in 1994 and accounted for around BMW has also made efforts to 5G technology, cellular V2X — have also helped in the brand’s 160 battery swap stations across 28 percent of its global sales in 723,680 improve service experiences with its technology can not only realize development. the country, and another 100 will 2019. cars dealers. autonomous driving but also Arcfox conducts technical vali­ be completed by the end of 2020. Jochen Goller, president and In 2019, the automaker worked provide real­time road condi­ of BMW and MINI brands were tions to prevent traffic jams and dation at a lab Daimler built with “Beijing is planning to replace CEO of BMW Group Region China, delivered last year in China out some 1,500 specific measures to BAIC, which is also its partner for all its taxis with electric cars capa­ said understanding China’s strate­ improve customer experience, most accidents. Yuan said China is one producing Mercedes­Benz models. ble of battery swap within 3 years. gic significance and offering prod­ of which were implemented within of the most important markets Chinese technology giant Hua­ Around 20,000 will be finished ucts and services that local the year. for Volvo Cars, and that the Asia­ wei will provide connectivity and this year, because those already in customers demand are fundamental 17 It will further collaborate with Pacific area, with China at the 5G­related solutions in Arcfox service have very good perform­ to its development in the country. models innovative partners to expand and core, has become a powerful models. ance,” Xu said. He made the remarks at an annual enrich in­car digitalized ecosystem engine for the company’s are expected to be launched by growth. event last week in Beijing. BMW in China in 2020 to make the cars part of Chinese cus­ “In 2020, we will continue to tomers’ digitalized life. expand our footprint ‘In China, with In terms of production facilities, Renault’s Morroco China, for China and for the world’,” ing BMW Intelligent Personal Assist­ its joint venture BMW Brilliance has group excels in 2019 Goller said. ant and Tmall Genie are already the world’s first production base fea­ “We, at BMW, are convinced that available in several series produc­ turing 5G technology. Renault Maroc group manufac­ the upcoming decade will remain a tion models. Its second joint venture, which is tured 394,902 vehicles in Moroc­ ‘decade of China’.” BMW is one of the best­selling established with China’s Great Wall co in 2019, according to the He said the carmaker will deepen premium new energy vehicle car­ Motors, kicked off in late 2019. It will official news agency MAP on its “2+4” China Strategy. The num­ makers, with over 50,000 such vehi­ develop and produce electric MINI­ Wednesday. A total of 303,558 ber 2 means BMW and MINI and cles already delivered in the country.