Aiways celebrates first year of European exports

Since May 2020, the company has exported more than 2,500 Aiways U5 models, and in the process, became the first Chinese EV startup to sell cars in Europe. Customers in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands can already order the Aiways U5 online or via dedicated retailers, with further EFTA and Southern European markets joining those countries by the end of 2021.  

Alex Klose, Executive Vice President of Overseas Operations at Aiways, commented: “We’ve quietly gone about building our presence in Europe, and after a year of exporting the U5 overseas, we’re happy with our progress so far. There’s still a lot more work to do - we’re frequently asked by citizens of other European countries as to when they can buy the U5. We’re committed to make electromobility accessible to all of them.” 

Four years in Shangrao

Aiways is also celebrating another milestone in May - four years since starting construction of its fully-owned, manufacturing facility in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, China. Finished within just 14 months, Aiways U5 production started at the plant in February, 2019.  

Situated in the catchment area of three prosperous economic zones, the Yangtze River Delta, Haixi and Wanjiang, the Shangrao industrial park is set to become China’s major automotive hub, with five other OEMs joining Aiways there over the next few years. This will have a positive impact on Aiways’ ambitions, helping to streamline the region’s automotive supply chain and attract talent from across China and the world.

The product of a ¥13.3bn (€1.73bn), the Aiways facility is a step-change in Chinese automotive manufacturing. Aiways dedicated electric vehicle construction plant leads the way in Chinese manufacturing by using the most advanced technologies and intelligent systems. 

To ensure outstanding quality and efficiency, Aiways is collaborating with German company Siemens on a ‘two factories - one facility’ concept. This utilises a highly detailed cloud-based virtual model of the plant that communicates online with the physical facility. This allows Aiways to monitor every step of the production process, with a self-learning system able to detect, report and correct even the smallest irregularities, without interrupting the overall production process. 

The 633,328 square meter plant consists of a stamping plant, body shop, paint shop, unique battery packing station and assembly shop, and can build up to 150,000 units per year currently, and will be able to produce 300,000 units in the near future.