Chinese automaker BAIC seeks broader cooperation in NEV industry

Chinese automaker BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology, a subsidiary of BAIC Group, seeks broader and open cooperation with other companies in the rising new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, according to the company sources.

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

Huawei and BAIC BluePark revealed the ARCFOX αS HI, an electric vehicle model featuring Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system and Autonomous Driving Solution (ADS), at the 19th Shanghai Auto Show last month.

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

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

BAIC BluePark and Huawei will keep exploring more NEVs with cutting-edge technology solutions, said Liu.

Aside from the deal with Huawei, BAIC BluePark also licensed two items of its core technology to Steyr USA LLC, a subsidiary company of automobile part manufacturer Magna Steyr Group, at the start 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 increased by 10.9 percent year on year to 1.37 million units in 2020 amid government efforts to support their use and ease pressure on the environment, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said.

Registered NEVs in China numbered 4.92 million by the end of 2020, a boost of almost 30 percent year on year, figures from the Ministry of Public Security show.