SAIC:to promote new energy vehicles while

　　【Editor's note】: Subsidy for individual purchasing new energy vehicles issued on June 1 and Development Planning for Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles Industry that will be reported to State Council in July sent a clear signal: in terms of technical route of fuel-efficient and new energy vehicles, Chinese government would choose pure electric vehicles as strategic development tendency in order to achieve remarkable development of China’s auto industry.

　　This trend led to heated discussions within the industry. If such a choice will ignore hybrid vehicles which are close to actual needs of China’s auto industry, and who will be responsible if development planning of pure electric vehicles turn out to be failure? To promote industry discussion, Sohu Auto conducted a great debate on strategic choice of China’s new energy vehicles. Therefore, Sohu Auto interviewed more than 20 mainstream auto manufacturers in China so as to differentiate opportunities and risks of each route, and provide auto manufacturers and Chinese government with results of the debate for discussion or reference.

　　The following is the interview of SAIC:

　　Sohu Auto: Could you introduce development direction and planning on new energy vehicles of SAIC?

　　SAIC: In order to overcome two constraints for auto industry- energy constraints and environmental protection, development of energy-saving and new energy vehicles has become a focus of global auto technology research and development. As a result, new energy technologies including alternative energy, hybrid, pure electric, fuel cell achieve a significant development. Meanwhile, governments throughout the world and major automobile manufacturers also define clean and environmental friendly auto technologies as the high ground for global auto industry competition in the future. Considering that new energy technology is still faced with some technical and economic problems to be solved at present, so within a long period global energy-saving environmental friendly cars will reflect tendency involves combination of various technologies.

　　Based on the above judge, SAIC made clear its technical route for new energy vehicles: to implement national energy strategy, focus on electrification tendency of car drivers, focus on accelerating hybrid and electric vehicles industry, push research and development upgrading and demonstration operation of fuel cell vehicles timely. While promoting construction of new energy vehicles aggressively, SACI will continue to focus on optimizing and upgrading of traditional internal combustion engines. SAIC combines new energy vehicles demand of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and put forward industry development goal of new energy vehicles: to produce Roewe 750 hybrid in 2010 so as to conduct a demonstration run for proving Shanghai World Expo with nearly a thousand units of new energy vehicles; to sell Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid vehicle until 2012 and to sell own brands’ pure electric vehicles in Chinese car market. At the same time, SAIC will continue to promote industry chain construction of key auto parts and components of new energy vehicles, so that achieve its own industrial system of new energy vehicles which can be a leader in China and competent in the world.

　　In accordance with principle of independent innovation, internal and external integration and walking on two legs, SAIC focused on solution of motor, electronic control, battery and has initially built key auto parts and components system of new energy vehicles, which can be a solid foundation for industrialization. Shanghai Dresdner established in early 2009 wholly owned by SAIC focuses on developing power system integration and control integration of hybrid and electric vehicles. Currently, it has made a breakthrough progress. About motor, plug-in hybrid driver technology innovated and developed by Shanghai Dresdner has entered the electromechanical coupling prototype stage.

　　The technology is supposed to effectively avoid technical barriers of domestic and external products made by manufacturers such as Toyota and GM. The motor is more compact, more efficient electric drive transmission and is expected to load at plug-in hybrid of SAIC in 2012. On electronic control, Shanghai Dresdner has a 60-person team of experts to conduct independent research and development. On December 2009, SAIC and the U.S. A123 established Shanghai Czech Republic in accordance with the 51:49 share structure in order to develop, produce and sell vehicle battery power system, and provide technical services and other after-sale services, so as to achieve a breakthrough progress on industrialization of cell system which is the key auto parts and components for new energy vehicles. At present, Shanghai Dresdner and Shanghai Czech Republic have settled in Jiading District, the new energy vehicles and key parts and components industrial base, and get the policy and other related industrial base support.

　　Shanghai World Expo is the world's largest new energy vehicles demonstration zone. Through demonstration of manufacture and application of nearly a thousand units of new energy vehicles at Shanghai World Expo, to display Shanghai’s experience in industrialization of new energy vehicles. As global automotive partner of the World Expo, SAIC supplies it with new energy vehicles such as pure electric, super capacitors, fuel cells and hybrid vehicles. High-intensity and long run of are imposing a great pressure on security, reliability and comfort of new energy vehicles at the World Expo. Therefore, SAIC developed reliable and technologically advanced new energy vehicles in accordance with Shanghai World Expo, and planned a detailed and stringent new energy vehicles operation and maintenance system. Since the park opened, new energy vehicles at Shanghai World Expo have operated smoothly in generally and contributed to achieving low-carbon Expo. (Translator: Qinghua Wade)

　　See original Chinese report Please click:

　　http://auto.sohu.com/20100701/n273218452.shtml