A production line of SGMW. [Photo/China News Service]

Guangxi has now become a major domestic automobile production base and an export and manufacturing base for automobile brands in South China serving ASEAN countries, said Ma Yisheng of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during an Oct 13 press conference.

Ma added that Guangxi currently has an annual finished automobile production capacity of 2.45 million and has formulated a relatively complete industrial chain encompassing finished automobiles, core spare parts, brand building, as well as the after-sales market.

The automobile industry has long been one of Guangxi's advantageous industries along with machinery, metallurgy, and non-ferrous metals. The region has released working plans on forming a full automobile industrial chain for leading automobile enterprises like SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) and Dongfeng Liuzhou Automobile. The local matching rate of core automobile spare parts has now increased to over 60 percent, more than double the less than 30 percent rate it recorded in 2012.

Guangxi has given continuous support to local automobile enterprises to develop new energy vehicles. It has also released preferential policies for the installation of charging piles, as well as the application and promotion of NEVs.

The annual production capacity of NEVs in Guangxi reached 486,000 in 2021, accounting for 13.7 percent of the nation's total, ranking third countrywide.

Ma added that Guangxi will further develop its automobile industry, as well as devote more efforts to product and technique innovation. Other measures, such as supporting enterprises in exploring markets and accelerating the construction of overseas manufacturing bases, will be carried out to consolidate and upgrade Guangxi's position as a key area in China's automobile manufacturing industry.