AIWAYS Eyes Global Expansion, Starting with Europe

Automotive, Healthcare, Financials Author: Linyan Feng Sep 05, 2019 04:50 PM (GMT+8)

The electric manufacturer plans to disclose its European marketing strategies at the IAA International Motor Show Frankfurt in four days.

AIWAYS U5 electric sport utility vehicle. Image credit: AIWAYS website.

The Shanghai-based electric vehicle maker AIWAYS completed a long-distance road test in July, driving from China to Europe, said AIWAYS’s executive vice president Cai Jianjun (蔡建军) at the Chengdu Motor Show on September 5. The company will apply for a Guinness World Record for the 6700-mile journey.

AIWAYS will announce its European marketing strategies at the IAA International Motor Show Frankfurt in four days, according to Cai Jianjun. This follows from early in 2017 when AIWAYS established a subsidiary in Germany and employed Roland Gumpert as the subsidiary’s CEO. Next, on October 21, 2018, the EV maker announced its overseas expansion plan in Nürburgring, Germany. Alexander Klose, former CEO of Volvo China with over 30 years of automotive industry experience, was selected to conduct the company’s overseas strategies.

The reason AIWAYS is determined to enter the European market is due to the very low EV sales there as compared to the Chinese market – and confidence about satisfying European customers with the AIWAYS U5 electric sport utility vehicle. To ensure successful access to European markets, AIWAYS plans to build an international operating center in Europe by the end of this year, serving as the company’s European headquarters.

In the middle of last month, AIWAYS formed a tie-up with two state-owned vehicle manufacturers, which is unprecedented in Chinese EV history.