The Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone recently signed an agreement with Xincheng Automotive Industrial Co. Ltd. to establish an integrated R&D and manufacturing base for automotive body structural components. The new base will strengthen the zone's pivotal role in the Yangtze River Delta's automotive industry while reinforcing local new energy vehicles (NEV) supply chains.

With a total investment of 550 million yuan ($76.5 million), the project will create a one-stop production system for automotive body parts, positioning Hefei as a key manufacturing hub serving the Yangtze River Delta. Upon full operation, the facility will produce 550,000 sets of critical safety components annually, generating a yearly revenue exceeding 500 million yuan.

As NEVs solidify their status as a top-priority product in Hefei and even in Anhui province, the zone has attracted global auto parts leaders including Continental Tire, Magna Hongli Automotive Systems, and Edscha, the world's largest automotive hinge supplier. This cluster is rapidly evolving into a competitive NEV industrial agglomeration area.

Recent data reveals that the zone's NEV sector achieved 8.1 billion yuan in industrial output in the January-February period this year, up 57.8% year on year. By 2027, the zone will host over 300 companies in the NEV and smart vehicle industrail chain with a scale surpassing 100 billion yuan. The zone expects to form a comprehensive ecosystem integrating R&D, smart manufacturing, and application demonstration.

With industrial chain leaders such as Xincheng Automotive taking root, the zone is accelerating toward becoming a global high-tech leader through its "technology-industry-ecosystem" model.