The GAC Aion Hyper GT has become China’s 20 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV). To celebrate this momentous production milestone, a ceremony was held in Guangzhou, China, with representatives from FAW, Dongfeng, SAIC, Changan, BAIC, BYD, Chery, JAC, Great Wall Motors, NIO, XPeng, and Tesla, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency. NEV comprises three types of vehicles: BEVs, PHEVs, and EREVs (range-extender).

It took China 27 years to produce its 10 millionth NEV in February 2022 since production began in 1995. It only took one year and five months from 10 million to 20 million NEV production, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Since 2012, China has established a national strategy for the development of NEVs, up until at least 2035, and focused on quality design, innovation and boosting comparative advantage.

In the first five months of 2023, the domestic market share of independent Chinese auto brands reached 53.1%, surpassing that of foreign auto brands. Furthermore, the production and sales of NEVs in China reached 3.005 million and 2.94 million units, respectively, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 45.1% and 46.8%, respectively. The penetration rate of new energy vehicles (proportion of NEVs to total new vehicle sales) reached 27.7%.

Currently, there are more than 140 Chinese auto brands. China has established a comprehensive and synergistic NEV industry system and cultivated the world’s largest consumer market. For eight consecutive years, China’s production of NEVs has topped the global charts.

Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), addressed the occasion, stating that, “New energy vehicles are not only a key direction in the global auto industry’s transformation and green development but also a strategic choice for high-quality development of China’s auto industry. The journey of our auto industry over the past 70 years, from nothing to something, from small to large, and from weak to strong, is encapsulated in the production of the 20 millionth NEV, marking a historically significant moment.”

The MIIT announced that the next steps include optimizing policies to support the purchase and use of NEVs, encouraging enterprises to diversify the supply of NEVs, and accelerating the progress of scientific and technological innovation in NEVs and the development of related industries.