STORY: China's auto industry rides new wave of smart, electric innovation
DATELINE: July 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:53
LOCATION: CHANGCHUN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China FAW Group
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHOU SHIYING, Vice president of FAW Global R&D Center
3. various of production lines
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GUO YACHEN, New energy department, FAW Jiefang
5. various of production lines
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG LINGYU, Vice general manager of China FAW Group Import & Export Co., Ltd.
7. various of vehicles
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): JIANG HUAISHENG, General Manager, Vitesco Automotive Electronics (Changchun) Co., Ltd.
9. various of China FAW Group

STORYLINE:

The construction of the First Automotive Works, China's first automotive manufacturing plant and predecessor of FAW Group Co., Ltd., was launched in Changchun on July 15, 1953, marking the beginning of the nation's auto industry.

From its first car rolling off the production line to being one of the world's top 500 companies, the FAW has become the epitome of China's auto industry development.

By the end of 2022, the FAW had produced and sold more than 54 million vehicles and achieved an operating revenue of over 7.9 trillion yuan (about 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars).

FAW's success has stimulated the growth of China's auto industry. Over the past 70 years, the country's auto industry has gone from manual manufacturing to mechanical manufacturing, and now it's moving forward to intelligent manufacturing.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHOU SHIYING, Vice president of FAW Global R&D Center
"In the present development stage of Hongqi brand, we focus on the electrification by new energies, the autonomous driving of intelligent connected vehicles, and the services spawned from the Internet of Vehicles."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GUO YACHEN, New energy department, FAW Jiefang
"It takes three steps to expand our new energy business. The first step is the electrification of traditional vehicles. FAW Jiefang has already achieved it. The second step is to realize digitalization and intellectualization of core components by 2025. And the third step is to build an exclusive Jiefang commercial vehicle platform based on the technical features of NEV by 2030."

With Changchun as its R&D headquarters, FAW has built 12 R&D centers worldwide. At present, FAW's overseas business has covered 78 countries and regions.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG LINGYU, Vice general manager of China FAW Group Import & Export Co., Ltd.
"We export FAW Benteng's economy cars eastward to Chile, Peru and other Latin American countries. We also export vehicles southward to Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan and some Southeast Asian countries. Besides, we have established production and assembly bases in South Africa to expand our market in Southern Africa. Towards the west and north, we mainly focus on markets in the Middle East and Europe."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): JIANG HUAISHENG, General Manager, Vitesco Automotive Electronics (Changchun) Co., Ltd.
"We have great confidence in the Chinese market, especially in the NEV sector. China has been at the forefront. We will continue to invest and expand our production capacity."

China's auto production and sales have ranked first in the world for 14 consecutive years, and those of new energy vehicles (NEVs) topped the global market for the eighth year in a row.

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's vehicle exports soared to around 1.07 million units in the first quarter of 2023, indicating that China had become the world's largest auto exporter in the period, outpacing Japan.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changchun, China.
(XHTV)