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Daniel Ren

Chinese carmakers, already at the vanguard of electric vehicle (EV) technology and production, are looking to make a dent in international marques’ full-hybrid vehicle stronghold as they continue to disrupt the global car industry’s pecking order.
Major car builders including Geely Auto and Changan Automobile have reported impressive sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), luring domestic consumers away from the likes of Toyota’s Prius.
“Chinese-developed HEVs, banking on the carmakers’ strength in developing intelligent features and computing power, have an edge over their international rivals in smart driving and in-car entertainment,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of the Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service consultancy.
“Now they are developing new models that may prove to be superior in terms of pricing and fuel efficiency,” he added.
An HEV is equipped with an internal combustion engine to drive an electrical generator, which either charges batteries or directly powers electric motors.
Unlike pure electric or plug-in hybrid cars, a battery in an HEV cannot be recharged by charging facilities.
In China, nearly all carmakers have been prioritising development of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles since Beijing granted cash subsidies for buyers in 2009.
HEV cars are not categorised as new-energy vehicles in mainland China, meaning they are not eligible for government incentives, such as subsidies or tax exemptions.
Chinese carmakers, from Geely and Changan, to Great Wall Motor and Chery Automobile, have been doubling down on their full-hybrid technology after HEV models were well received by consumers in regions with limited power supply.


The HEV segment had been dominated by international brands like Toyota and Honda over the past two decades, with the segment seeing annual sales of about 1.2 million units, accounting for around 5 per cent of the total car deliveries nationwide, according to estimates by analysts.
“With the full empowerment of Geely’s new energy and AI technologies, our [next-generation] i-HEV’s technical specifications proved to have far surpassed those of Japanese products,” Jerry Gan Jiayue, the newly appointed CEO of Geely Auto, told reporters in a media briefing on August 17.
“We feel it [is] safe to term our technology as the global benchmark [for HEV],” he added.
Gan, who was formerly head of Geely Auto’s car development and sales, made the statement following the announcement of his promotion at the event.
The i-HEV intelligent hybrid system, rolled out early this year, was supported by an artificial intelligence energy management platform capable of monitoring temperature, humidity and altitude to enhance fuel efficiency, according to a statement by Geely.
A highway test showed it consumed an average of 2.22 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, the lowest among all the world’s HEV models, the company added.
Geely, the mainland’s second-largest carmaker only behind BYD, the world’s largest EV assembler, said it aimed to achieve monthly HEV deliveries of 30,000 units on the domestic market by the end of 2026.
Its new HEV models would be exported to markets outside the mainland from 2027, it added.
The European Union now levies tariffs of 17.8 per cent to 45.3 per cent on Chinese-made pure electric cars, while HEV exports from the mainland are subject to a duty of just 10 per cent.


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Chinese EV leaders are pushing into full-hybrid tech to challenge industry titans on mainland and abroad


Chinese EV leaders are pushing into full-hybrid tech to challenge industry titans on mainland and abroad.


After gaining EV dominance, Chinese carmakers shift goal to take on full-hybrid behemoths

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese EV leaders are pushing into full-hybrid tech to challenge industry titans on mainland and abroad

Chinese EV leaders are pushing into full-hybrid tech to challenge industry titans on mainland and abroad