Chinese automaker seeks broader cooperation in NEV industry

Chinese carmaker BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of BAIC Group, seeks broader and open cooperation with other companies in the booming new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, said sources with the company on Wednesday.

BAIC BluePark has teamed up with tech giant Huawei in making electric smart cars.

Huawei and BAIC BluePark unveiled the ARCFOX αS HI (short for Huawei Inside), an electric car model featuring Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system and ADS (Autonomous Driving Solution), at the 19th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition last month.

The car has three laser radars, allowing for a high level of autonomous driving. The company is scheduled to start ARCFOX αS HI deliveries in December this year, Liu Yu, board chairman of BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, said.

BAIC BluePark signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei in 2017. The two sides established a "creative lab" in 2019 to jointly develop technologies for next-generation electric smart cars.

BAIC BluePark and Huawei will continue to explore more NEVs with cutting-edge technology solutions, said Liu.

Apart from the deal with Huawei, BAIC BluePark also licensed two items of its core technology to Steyr USA LLC, a subsidiary company of auto part manufacturer Magna Steyr Group, at the beginning of this year.

"We see huge potential in the electric car market," said Liu. "And we would like to expand our cooperation with more companies in the NEV industry."

NEV sales in China rose by 10.9 percent year on year to 1.37 million units in 2020 amid government efforts to encourage their use and ease pressure on the environment, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.

Registered NEVs in China numbered 4.92 million by the end of 2020, an increase of nearly 30 percent year on year, statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show.