Beijing Automobile Group Looks Set for EV Production

Beijing Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC Group) will begin mass-production of all-electric vehicles in 2011, while only rolling out 30 units of the C60 electric cars this year. The company is planning to start operations at a new production facility, which will have an annual capacity of 40,000 new energy vehicles in the second quarter of next year.

BAIC’s responsible figure for new energy vehicle project, Lin Yi, said among the 3,500 all-electric vehicles to be built next year, the C60FB (that uses Saab’s 9-3 platform) will account for 800 units, the C301 based on the C30 will account for 1,200 units of the total, while the remaining 1,500 units will be the M30 R B electric minivans. At present, ten C60FB electric cars have rolled off the assembly line.

BAIC is China’s fifth-largest car manufacturer and the Chinese partner of Daimler AG and Hyundai Motor Corp. The company will make all-electric vehicles based on its C-, B-, A+-, A- and A0-class models, as well as its mini vehicles in the future.

The first generation of C60FB will come with either a 30kW or a 60kW electric motor, both using the same lithium-ion battery. The first one has a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) while the second version has a peak speed of 190 km/h (118 mph).

The Chinese company hopes to produce 150,000 vehicles between 2011 and 2015. Added to that will be 200,000 control systems and 150,000 driving systems when operation starts. In turn, an annual revenue of CNY15 billion ($2.2 billion) is expected. BAIC products encompass agricultural machinery, buses, construction machinery, light trucks and military vehicles.