Auto Valley to build more resilient auto supply chain

In recent years, China's automobile supply chain has encountered a series of issues inflicted by a chip shortage, surging raw material costs, and frequent coronavirus outbreaks. These issues have severely crippled the high-quality development of the domestic auto industry.

The 2022 China Auto Supply Chain Conference and the first China New Energy Vehicle (NEV) and Intelligent Connected Vehicle (ICV) Ecosystem Meeting will take place on June 27-29 in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ).

Industry insiders, specialists, corporate leaders and other social groups will gather to discuss how to make the supply chain safe and independent.

Statistics show that WEDZ produced nearly half of automobiles in Hubei province. The zone will expand its deployments in NEV and ICV manufacturing and continue to strengthen the resilience of the auto supply chain.

The electrical drive platform for the pure electric vehicle of Dongfeng Motor Co was put into use on June 20.

Auto chips are the "brains" of cars, and the zone has revamped efforts to cultivate an auto chip industrial chain and nurtured a group of leading enterprises in this area.

For example, Hubei Ecarx Technology Co – a new industrial unicorn in the zone – focuses on automotive intelligence and networking, providing digital cockpit electronics, active safety electronics, and unmanned driving sensors and controllers, as well as operating services for the Internet of Vehicles cloud platforms and big data platforms.

It will invest 5 billion yuan ($746 million) in a "super brain" project along with SiEngine Technology Co. The project is expected to be completed in 2024.