Chongqing - "Due to the stricter CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans, the European automotive market is facing an important reform," said Chen Dihong, deputy secretary-general of the China-Europe Association for Technical & Economic Cooperation. "This is a great opportunity for China's new energy vehicles to expand exports to Europe."

Chen thinks the automobile industry in Southwest China's Chengdu and Chongqing should seize this opportunity and effectively build the Chengdu-Chongqing New Energy Vehicle Export Demonstration Base in Europe.

Increasing demand for new energy vehicles in Europe

Europe is accelerating to achieve the goal of zero-carbon transport, with the EU planning to reduce emissions from cars and trucks by 55% and 50%, respectively, by 2030 compared to 2021 and 100% by 2035 compared to 2021. This will accelerate the promotion process of new energy vehicles. 

The demand for new energy vehicles exported from China to Europe is enormous. "The higher the per capita GDP of a country in Europe, the higher the penetration rate of new energy vehicles," Chen added. 

For example, Norway's per capita GDP is USD 89,090, and the penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles is 89.3%, while Sweden's per capita GDP is USD 60,029, and the penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles is 45.8%. 

In addition, the prices of major models exported to Europe by BYD Company Limited, NIO, and other brands are generally more than 20% higher than the domestic prices. 

Changan Automobile to deploy manufacturing bases in Europe

The China-Europe Association for Technical & Economic Cooperation representatives are learning Changan Automobile's cutting-edge technology. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Chongqing has formed an automobile production cluster represented by Changan Automobile, covering cars, commercial vehicles, new energy vehicles, and other fields, and the automobile industry exceeds 450 billion (about USD 64.76 billion).

Wang Hui, vice president of Changan Automobile, said that the company had launched an overseas strategic plan to introduce no less than 60 global products by 2030. In the future, The same Changan model car will have a variety of versions, such as the Chinese and the European versions. 

Changan Automobile plans to complete its entry into the European regional market by 2024. By 2030, its sales in the European market will exceed 300,000 units. It will also deploy manufacturing bases in Europe and other places and establish a European regional headquarters. 

In the future, the Chengdu-Chongqing New Energy Vehicle Export Demonstration Base in Europe will integrate import and export, exhibition and sales, e-commerce and financial functions, covering new energy vehicle expo, cross-border e-commerce platform, financial settlement platform, intelligent driving and automobile cultural life experience, etc.

This base aims to build into a leading domestic new energy vehicle export demonstration base to Europe, and form a 100-billion-level new energy vehicle export and regional trade gathering area, new energy vehicle exhibition area, integrated intelligent driving demonstration area, and other comprehensive industrial systems.