Workers complete the final assembly work of new energy vehicles at GAC AION Smart Ecological Factory in Panyu district of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on July 18, 2024. Photo: Tu Lei/GT

The surge in new-energy vehicle (NEV) production is sweeping across China, particularly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This city cluster in South China is one of China's most dynamic and open economic regions.

"From a steel plate to a completed vehicle rolling off the production line, the entire process can be completed in 16 hours, and we can also roll off a customized new car every 53 seconds," according to the information shared with the Global Times by GAC AION Smart Ecological Factory, in the Panyu district of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province.

"China's domestic NEV industry has developed rapidly, and it requires us to proactively set and upgrade the industry standards, which is a big help for us in winning a larger slice of global market share," the company said. 

In a recent visit to the factory, Global Times reporters witnessed busy assembly line, industrial robots waving their robotic arms and locking components into place, and workers installing large sections of auto parts in a streamlined and efficient manner.

Relying on its traditional automobile industry foundation and advanced layout, Guangdong is making rapid progress in NEV production. Official data showed that NEV output in Guangdong in 2023 reached 2.53 million units, literally doubling the 2022 production, accounting for 26.8 percent of China's total output. 

The NEV rush in Guangdong is only one window of Chinese manufacturing. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is building a smart and efficient collaborative industry chain. Relying on the country's ultra-large home market, a globally competitive new-energy vehicle industry cluster is now emerging. 

In addition to the NEV producers, there are many chip companies in the region which share close commercial relationships with car manufacturers. 

"We attach great importance to making good use of the human resources in the Greater Bay Area, and the convenient transportation greatly facilitates our exchanges with the universities of Hong Kong," Zhou Xiaoyang, president of AccoPower Semiconductor Co told the Global Times.

Founded in 2018, AccoPower Semiconductor focuses its main business on the research and development, design, packaging, testing and sales of silicon carbide-based and silicon-based power semiconductor devices and modules. These products can be widely used in the field of new energy automobiles and industrial fields.

According to Zhou, global silicon carbide enterprises are actively exploring the auto market. Nansha, one of Guangdong's automobile manufacturing bases, has planned an integrated circuit industrial park of about two square kilometers, attracting companies in chip materials, equipment and manufacturing.
 
China's vehicle industrial chain in the chip field is increasingly mature, with a high level of self-sufficiency built in, Zhou said.

Smart driving tried out

Smart driving is another important example demonstrating the development of the GBA's auto prowess. 

Companies choose to locate in the Greater Bay Area is because of the advantages there, including talent, with Shenzhen adjacent to Hong Kong and able to attract international talent, Liu Nianqiu, technical partner and vice president of DeepRoute.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving startup based in Shenzhen, told the Global Times.

In the eyes of Liu, Shenzhen has a rich industrial system, which has brought together many companies with technological strength and a large amount of innovative capital.

"Take smart driving fir an example, Shenzhen is home to leading companies in upstream sensor fields such as radar. The Greater Bay Area is an area densely populated by car companies, and we believe this area is very suitable for further industry development," Liu added. 

In 2023, DeepRoute.ai signed a memorandum of cooperation with the intelligent autonomous driving center of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in the fields of autonomous driving research and autonomous driving talent training. 

Toyota also echoed that the Greater Bay Area has favorable policy and regulatory support for the development of intelligent connected vehicles and is actively expanding demonstration areas for intelligent connected vehicles to lay the foundation for future large-scale applications. 

In April of this year, Toyota, together with partner Pony.ai and GAC-Toyota, a venture between the Japanese automaker and Chinese state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group, set up a Robotaxi venture which will employ the startup's autonomous driving technology and also try out the ride-hailing service.

Toyota said it plans to launch more than 1,000 L4 mass-produced driverless vehicles starting next year.

Industry data revealed that as of June 2024, Guangzhou has opened 827 test roads with a two-way mileage of 3,327.87 kilometers, and the city's cumulative test mileage ranks among the top in the country. 

The Guangzhou municipal government recently released a draft proposal seeking public comment for the innovative development of intelligent connected vehicles. The draft standardizes the use of intelligent connected vehicles in some specific scenarios, a significant step in improving China's autonomous driving regulations.