Chinese EV startup AIWAYS eyes 10,000 units in 2021 auto exports

In the first quarter of 2021, AIWAYS exported 1,056 new vehicles, which have already surpassed its total exports for the year of 2020, the Chinese EV startup said on Wednesday via its WeChat account.

Meanwhile, the company said it aims to export 10,000 vehicles throughout 2021, indicating an average monthly target of 1,000 units for the next three quarters.

In September 2019, AIWAYS received a whole vehicle type approval (WVTA) for its first mass-produced model, the U5 SUV, through German vehicle certification firm TÜV Rheinland, becoming the first Chinese EV startup allowed to sell vehicles in the European Union.

The startup has systematically mapped out a slew of core technologies about the likes of intelligent connectivity, autonomous driving, lightweight, EV platform and powertrain. By the end of March 2021, it had applied for registration of 946 patents. Moreover, the carmaker developed the BEV-focused platform “MAS” with proprietary intellectual property rights and built a self-owned smart EV manufacturing plant in Shangrao, Jiangxi province. The body cage of the AIWAYS U5 is the world's first body construction that has been built in line with the principle of 'steel above, aluminium below'.

In 2021, AIWAYS will launch upgrades and iteration for the U5 and plans to put the second production model, the U6, onto the market. Besides, there are several all-new models still in the works.

Regarding overseas markets, the company noted it taped such countries as Belgium, Denmark, France and Israel in the first three months of the year, and will further expand business in Northern Europe next month.