Chinese new-energy vehicle companies bring innovation to Germany: car expert

BERLIN - Chinese new-energy vehicle companies, including battery and car makers, are entering Germany with innovations, a German car expert said on Friday.

Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of CAR Center Automotive Research Duisburg, said that key battery manufacturers in China are now building battery cell factories with large investments in Germany, thus bringing technology to the country.

"China is thus helping Germany to implement climate-friendly strategies more quickly," Dudenhoeffer told Xinhua.

Germany's government is aiming to have 15 million pure electric cars on the road by 2030.

In the meanwhile, carmakers like NIO or BYD brought their products and services to Europe, he said.

On Friday at its European launch event in Berlin, NIO unveiled three new models derived from its NIO NT2 platform, the ET7, EL7 and ET5, for customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Last year, it had already entered the Norwegian market.

Earlier this week, German car rental company and mobility service provider Sixt announced its plans to order 100,000 electric vehicles from China's BYD over the next six years.

Sixt has already ordered "several thousand" pure-electric vehicles from BYD. The first vehicles would be available for customers in Europe -- starting with Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom -- in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the company.

"It is good for the mutual exchange between Germany and China that we cooperate with technology-driven Chinese new energy companies. We Germans learn how advanced Chinese technology is and it encourages further exchange," Dudenhoeffer said.