In Bali, Indonesia, new energy vehicles shuttle between the airport and the hotel. The traditional Batik-style red and yellow painted body has the "G20" logo printed on it, which is beautiful and eye-catching.
As one of the official vehicles for the 17th summit of the G20 leaders, 300 Air ev new energy vehicles produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling Indonesia will serve the green travel of the summit.
The appearance of the "beautiful car" in Bali is a vivid scene of China's new energy vehicles heading to the world.
With the continuous development of the domestic market, the iterative upgrade of R&D and the improvement of the layout of the industrial chain, the conditions for new energy vehicles to "go overseas" are becoming more and more mature. Chinese auto companies are seizing opportunities to actively expand overseas markets.
What is the position of China's new energy vehicles on the global track?
In the past two years, the export growth of new energy vehicles has accelerated significantly. What are the reasons?
How to continue to build a competitive advantage in the future?
The journalist made an interview about this.
The export volume of new energy vehicles has increased significantly, and China's own brands have emerged
A few days ago, at Shanghai Haitong Wharf, 10,000 pure electric vehicles lined up to board a ro-ro ship and headed for the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium.
This is SAIC Motor's pure electric vehicle MG MULAN targeting the global market, and it is also China's first new energy vehicle launched in more than 80 countries around the world.
"This model is tailored to meet the competitive characteristics of overseas markets after our in-depth study of the diverse needs of overseas consumers in terms of safety, environmental protection, intelligence, and control." According to the relevant person in charge of SAIC, the car relies on Innovative technologies such as the "Xingyun" pure electric exclusive system platform and the "Magic Cube" battery system are based on becoming a smart electric "global car" that meets global high standards and allows global users to get used to it and drive well.
China's auto industry's first global car "going to Europe" is behind the continuous acceleration of the export of new energy vehicles.
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in October this year, auto companies across the country exported 337,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 46%.
Among them, 109,000 new energy vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 81.2%.
From January to October this year, auto companies exported 2.456 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 54.1%.
Among them, 499,000 new energy vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 96.7%.
"In fact, China's new energy vehicle exports began to grow rapidly last year. In 2021, China's new energy vehicle exports will reach 310,000, a year-on-year increase of about three times." Xu Haidong, deputy chief engineer of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told reporters that the overall export volume of China's automobiles The growth rate is also obvious, exceeding 2 million for the first time last year.
Among them, the proportion of new energy vehicles has gradually increased, becoming the core growth point of China's auto exports.
From the perspective of export destinations, Europe and Southeast Asia are the "main battlefields".
It is worth noting that, unlike traditional fuel vehicles that were mainly sold to underdeveloped countries and regions in the past, China's own brand new energy vehicles are rapidly opening up markets in developed countries and regions represented by Europe.
According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Chinese electric vehicles have accounted for about 10% of the total sales of electric vehicles in Europe.
The reporter combed and found that traditional car companies such as SAIC, BYD, Geely Automobile, FAW Hongqi, and Great Wall Motors, and new car manufacturers such as Xiaopeng Motors and Weilai Automobile have all set off in Europe.
In addition, there are a number of car companies ready to enter the European new energy vehicle market.
There are both quantitative and qualitative leaps.
The rapid growth in the export of new energy vehicles also reflects the rapid growth of China's own brands, with SAIC, BYD, Geely, etc. leading the way in the export of new energy vehicles.
At the same time, China's independent brands no longer rely on the old way of "low price for the market", but are making efforts in the overseas mid-to-high-end new energy vehicle market.
This can be seen from the export price.
"Since last year, the unit price of vehicles exported by Chinese car companies has been rising, and the average unit price of new energy vehicles has reached about 30,000 US dollars, which shows that product competitiveness continues to improve, and design, quality, configuration and consumer experience have all been recognized." Xu Haidong He said that self-owned brands with high quality and high price are breaking the stereotype of "low-end and cheap", and the price increase also shows that we have a certain voice in the overseas new energy vehicle market.
Relying on the advantages of a large-scale domestic market and the support of a relatively complete industrial chain, China's new energy vehicle manufacturing level continues to improve
BYD Auto launched the three pure electric vehicles Yuan Plus, Tang SUV and Han at the Paris Motor Show; Great Wall Motor participated in the exhibition and launched products such as Wei brand Mocha PHEV, Latte PHEV and Euler Haomao; Leapao, Sailisi, etc. The rookie "car maker" participated in the exhibition and announced that it will enter the European market... After four years, the Paris Motor Show, one of the five major auto shows in the world, opened again in October this year.
At this event, which is regarded as the "wind vane of the global auto industry", the latest new energy models of many Chinese auto companies shine.
Why are Chinese new energy vehicles favored by overseas markets?
In Xu Haidong's view, this is a process of accumulation and development: "First, my country provided technical and industrial policy support for new energy vehicles earlier, creating a good development environment; second, China is the world's largest new energy vehicle market, relying on The domestic ultra-large-scale market advantage, the strong supporting capacity of the entire industrial chain, and the continuous improvement of industry technology and manufacturing level; third, the low-carbon general trend, electrification transformation is imperative, and the demand for new energy vehicles in the international market is growing rapidly.”
For more than ten years, around the transformation of electrification, upstream and downstream enterprises in China's automobile industry chain have increased R&D investment and accelerated technological iteration. The product matrix of domestic new energy vehicles has become increasingly rich, covering basically all car types, and satisfying the differentiation of different consumer groups. need.
Zhang Jinhua, executive vice chairman and secretary-general of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, pointed out that in the first half of this year, 33 new energy passenger vehicles were launched in China, accounting for nearly 60% of all newly launched passenger vehicles.
At present, there are nearly 300 new energy passenger car models on sale in the Chinese auto market, accounting for more than 30% of all passenger car models on sale.
In 2012, the sales volume of new energy vehicles in my country was only 12,800, and it jumped to 3.521 million in 2021, ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years.
Bai Ming, deputy director of the International Market Research Institute of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, analyzed that when new energy vehicles were not fully recognized internationally, China took steps to explore related technologies to create a first-mover advantage.
Today, my country has basically established a complete and competitive new energy vehicle industry chain, coupled with the ultra-large-scale market and long-term accumulated experience and word-of-mouth, which together bring advantages in manufacturing costs and lay the foundation for the "going overseas" of domestic new energy vehicles.
From the perspective of external conditions, in the context of global climate change, the development of new energy vehicles is a major trend in coping with climate change and promoting green development.
The European Union announced that the sale of new fuel-fueled vehicles will be stopped throughout the country in 2035, and zero emissions will be achieved in 2050. Zero-emission vehicles will be exempted from value-added tax.
Many European countries have also successively announced the timetable for banning the sale of fuel vehicles.
According to the plan of the Indonesian government, Indonesia will reduce its carbon emissions by 31.89% by 2030.
"The use of new energy vehicles at the 17th summit of the G20 leaders demonstrates Indonesia's firm commitment to transition to clean energy." Indonesian Secretary of State Pratikno said.
The green and low-carbon transformation promotes the accelerated electrification transformation of the auto industry, and also opens a golden window for China's new energy vehicle exports.
In 2021, the global sales of new energy vehicles will be about 6.75 million, a year-on-year increase of 1.08 times, and the market penetration rate will increase significantly to about 8%.
"Driven by the pressure of emission reduction and the stimulus policies of many countries, the demand for new energy vehicles in various countries, especially Europe and the United States, is increasing. In the future, China's new energy vehicle exports will also maintain a relatively high growth rate." Xu Haidong said.
Build a strong technical foundation to promote the development of the whole industry chain of new energy vehicles in my country into the fast lane
The engine, gearbox and chassis are regarded as the "three major components" of traditional fuel vehicles, and the traditional car giants in Europe, the United States and Japan have long maintained a monopoly advantage in this regard.
After turning to electrification and intelligence, the automotive supply chain has been restructured, and the "three major components" of new energy vehicles have become three-electric systems (batteries, motors, and electronic controls), and Chinese auto companies have been able to "change lanes and overtake."
"Whether it is a traditional car company or a new car manufacturer, it can launch new energy vehicle products with a high level. The main reason is that we have cultivated a high-quality industrial chain, and many companies with international competitiveness have emerged in key core areas." Xu Haidong said.
In terms of batteries, my country has become the world's largest consumer market for lithium batteries for five consecutive years.
As of the end of 2021, my country's power battery production capacity accounts for about 70% of the world's total, and among the world's top ten lithium battery manufacturers, Chinese companies occupy 6 seats.
In addition to traditional rechargeable energy storage batteries, my country has also made a lot of progress in the field of hydrogen fuel cells.
"In the past ten years, the cost of power batteries in China has dropped sharply, and their competitiveness has increased significantly. They have emerged in terms of structural innovation, such as Ningde era Kirin battery, BYD blade battery, Sino-Innovative aviation soft square battery, and honeycomb energy short knife battery. It is a remarkable achievement." Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.
my country's drive motor technology and motor control have also reached the international advanced level.
The speed and power density of new energy vehicle motors continue to increase, and a new generation of products with features such as flat wires, oil cooling, and high voltage is born, and mass production and loading are gradually realized.
In terms of motor control, my country's electronic control product precision, dynamic response rate, switching loss and other aspects of technology continue to mature, and the industrial chain continues to improve.
Adhere to scientific and technological innovation as the core driving force, and embark on a new path of transformation and upgrading of the automobile industry.
At the beginning of choosing the new energy vehicle track, my country creatively proposed to build the "three verticals" of hybrid vehicles, pure electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles, and the "three verticals" of energy and powertrain control systems, motors and their control systems, and batteries and their management systems. The overall R&D layout of "horizontal" has built a strong technical foundation and promoted the development of the entire industry chain of new energy vehicles in my country into the fast lane.
The data shows that compared with 2012, the energy density of a single power battery for new energy vehicles in my country has increased by 1.3 times.
Correspondingly, the cruising range of mainstream models of new energy vehicles in my country has been greatly increased from 150 kilometers to more than 500 kilometers.
In terms of intelligent network connection and automatic driving, the speed of technology integration and evolution in my country is also accelerating innovation.
"The biggest feature of automobile intelligence is the software-defined intelligent terminal. my country's new independent brands represented by Weilai, Xiaopeng, and Ideal have realized the integration of functions such as intelligent assisted driving, entertainment self-control, motor control, and body control. The high-end market is very competitive," said Jin Yonghua, a researcher at the Institute of Informatization and Industrialization Integration of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
Drive the high-quality development of new energy vehicles with technological innovation, improve in the fierce market competition, and enhance the international influence of China's independent brands
At the summit vehicle support base near Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, driver Hanas sat in the driving seat of Wuling New Energy Vehicle.
This is his first time driving a new energy vehicle.
"The car can be started by simply turning the shift knob. The acceleration is fast, the brakes respond quickly, and it runs quietly and smoothly." Hanas said.
In fact, this car did not cross the ocean from China, but was produced in a local factory of a Chinese car company in Indonesia.
In 2015, SAIC-GM-Wuling established an Indonesian branch, becoming one of the first Chinese car companies to invest and build factories in Indonesia.
Since then, the scale of Wuling Indonesia's automobile manufacturing base has continued to expand.
"Indonesia's population, resources and location advantages have brought huge dividends to the development of the new energy vehicle industry." Shi Guoyong, general manager of Wuling Indonesia, said that the participation of Chinese companies will not only help drive the upstream and downstream industries, but also give birth to charging, maintenance services, and automobiles. Many new formats such as refitting, used car and battery recycling.
"Indonesia and China strengthen cooperation in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of new energy vehicles, which will help Indonesia's related industries to develop rapidly and promote energy transformation." Indonesian Economic Coordinating Minister Airlanga said.
SAIC has established three R&D and innovation centers in London, Silicon Valley, and Tel Aviv, with 98 production and R&D bases; NIO Energy’s European plant invested and built in Pest, Hungary has completed the first power station off-line...from assembly and manufacturing to research and development of smart manufacturing , From the simple export of complete vehicles and parts products to the "going overseas" of the entire industrial chain and brand culture, structural changes are taking place in the "going overseas" of Chinese automobiles.
The future is bright, but challenges remain.
As the global demand for new energy vehicles grows, competition in overseas markets will become increasingly fierce.
At present, the main mode of my country's auto product trade is still in the general trade stage, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the scale of overseas investment and factory establishment, and the autonomy of supporting supply chains and brand influence are still under construction.
Coupled with external environmental interference such as geopolitics and trade protectionism, China's own brand new energy vehicles still face many challenges in "going global".
In Xu Haidong’s view, winning the overseas market requires not only competing in the hard power of products, but also polishing the soft power, and complete product, sales, and service experience, including charging facilities, after-sales service network construction, etc., so as to form a systematic advantage .
"Building a brand is a long-term process. The accumulation of European and American auto brands is relatively deep, and we still have a long way to go in this regard." Xu Haidong said that Chinese auto companies still need to better adapt to the local market, familiarize themselves with local laws and regulations, and in-depth Understand local culture and consumer needs, and accumulate brand reputation with good products and services.
Globalization is the only way for China's independent brands to become bigger and stronger.
Standing on the new journey from a big automobile country to a powerful automobile country, driving high-quality development with scientific and technological innovation, honed and improved in the fierce market competition, China's new energy vehicles will surely run faster and farther on the global track.
(Chai Yaxin, reporter from China Discipline Inspection and Supervision News)