Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Regarding this year's economic work, the recently held Central Economic Work Conference stated that "this year is an extraordinary year" and that "my country's economy is forging ahead under pressure, developing towards new and superior directions."
How to understand "developing towards new and superior directions"? The automotive industry provides a perspective.
From January to November this year, my country's automobile production and sales reached 31.231 million and 31.127 million vehicles respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 11.9% and 11.4%. In November, automobile production exceeded 3.5 million vehicles for the first time, setting a new historical record.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country's automotive industry accelerated its transformation towards electrification and intelligentization. Breakthroughs were achieved in key core technologies such as next-generation power batteries, drive motors, new energy powertrains, electronic and electrical architecture, intelligent cockpits, and intelligent assisted driving, leading the new energy vehicle industry to achieve leapfrog development and continuing to lead the world.
From 2020 to 2024, my country's new energy vehicle industry is expected to achieve an average annual growth rate of over 75%, setting a record for the highest growth rate in any five-year planning period. From January to November this year, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 14.907 million and 14.78 million units respectively, with a market penetration rate of 47.5%, an increase of over 41 percentage points compared to the same period in 2020.
Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period, facing the deepening impact of changes in the external environment and the prominent contradiction between strong supply and weak demand in the domestic market, the automotive industry will adhere to innovation-driven development, accelerate the cultivation and expansion of new growth drivers, enhance the dynamism and vitality of high-quality development, and seek new breakthroughs in the pursuit of innovation and excellence.
To achieve innovation and excellence, it is essential to firmly grasp the strategic opportunity period of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation represented by artificial intelligence, accelerate breakthroughs in key core technologies such as chips, new materials, intelligent assisted driving, and intelligent cockpits, and promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence with the entire automotive industry chain.
On December 12th, Geely's Global All-Domain Safety Center was unveiled. A pillarless crash test space covering 12,700 square meters; the world's longest main vehicle testing track, exceeding 293 meters… This comprehensive safety laboratory, with an initial investment exceeding 2 billion yuan, can not only complete the test subjects specified by regulations and mainstream crash evaluation agencies, but also conduct 0-180° arbitrary angle vehicle crash tests, assisted driving tests in extreme environments, and technology verification for health and safety, digital safety, etc.
Based on the Xingrui Intelligent Computing Center, boasting the industry's strongest computing power of 23.5 EFLOPS (exascale computing power per second), Geely is accelerating the implementation of its "Full-Domain AI" strategy. Among these initiatives, the industry's first "AI Safety Brain" and AI digital chassis have already been mass-produced and implemented.
Following the large-scale application of end-to-end integrated assisted driving systems from parking space to parking space, XPeng Motors has launched its second-generation VLA (Visual-Language-Action) big model, which overturns the traditional "vision-language-action" architecture and enables direct end-to-end output of visual signals to action commands. This model has already begun pioneering user co-creation experiences and is planned for full rollout in the first quarter of next year. Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5, with a research and development investment of up to 10 billion yuan and centered on a full-domain upgrade of the WEWA (World Architecture and Automation) model architecture, is currently in a critical period of transition from technology closed-loop verification to mass production adaptation, with large-scale deployment expected to begin in the second half of next year.
To develop towards innovation and excellence, it is also necessary to thoroughly address "involutionary" competition and guide enterprises to shift from extensive development relying on resource investment and price wars to technological innovation and value upgrading.
Since the beginning of this year, with the halt to price wars, the commitment by 17 automakers to payment terms of no more than 60 days, strengthened product consistency checks, and enforcement against unfair competition, a series of measures to combat involution in the automotive industry have been implemented. These measures are gradually correcting the persistent problems that have deeply plagued the domestic auto industry, such as disorderly price wars, declining industry profits, false advertising, and smear campaigns.
Meanwhile, mainstream automakers are upgrading their technical standards and shifting towards "high-quality supply," launching flagship models that represent their core technological strengths and gaining market recognition. Among them, the HarmonyOS S800 accounts for approximately 50% of sales in the million-yuan-level luxury car segment; the M9, M8, and M7 have topped the sales charts in the 500,000-yuan, 400,000-yuan, and 300,000-yuan SUV segments, respectively; the Voyah Dreamer has retained its monthly sales champion in the high-end MPV segment, with an average price exceeding 400,000 yuan; and the JK009 and 9X have won the top spots in the luxury pure electric MPV segment (above 400,000 yuan) and the large SUV segment (above 500,000 yuan), respectively.
Adhering to the principles of innovation and excellence, the technological foundation of domestically produced new energy vehicles has become increasingly solid, and the pace of "brand upgrading" has become more robust. This not only injects fresh momentum into the high-quality development of the automotive industry but also reflects the strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy.
With the continuous advancement of the construction of a modern industrial system, the steady development of new-quality productive forces, the continuous emergence of scientific and technological innovation achievements, the deepening of the unified national market, and the effective rectification of "involutionary" competition, my country's economy will certainly be able to continuously consolidate and expand its steady and positive momentum, seek progress while maintaining stability, improve quality and efficiency, and ensure a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan." (Wang Zheng)
