On March 17, Changan Auto unveiled its business deployment and plan for overseas markets. The company aims to achieve an annual overseas sales volume of 220,000 vehicles in 2023 and an overseas sales volume share of 15% by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
Changan Auto has so far built 14 sites and 33 vehicle, engine and transmission plants around the world, and will make an all-out effort in exploring overseas markets, with the construction of its global regional headquarters in the preparatory stage. The company will complete and commission the ASEAN site by 2025, with the products radiating to markets such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and will concurrently build the European headquarters to penetrate into the EU market.
Changan Auto disclosed the R&D progress of its core technologies. In 2023, the company will achieve the mass production of more new technologies, another upgrade for the Changan Force technology, and the mass production and equipment of the EDS2-B 8-in-1 electric drive assembly; launch the new iDD solution, and mass produce and launch the P13 configuration and the HE ultra-high-thermal-efficiency new power; and equip the NID3.0 and APA7.0 technologies under large-scale verification on vehicles in bulk. The company will also launch the SDA super intelligent platform, and its new technologies such as CTV battery-chassis integration and one-piece die casting have entered the engineering realization stage.
In addition, Changan Auto disclosed in detail the product plan for the iDD intelligent plug-in hybrid technology. Models with this technology have a maximum range of 1,200km with a full tank of fuel and a fully charged battery and a maximum electric mode range of 150km under the NEDC standard. The iDD models of the UNI-V and UNI-K have been officially launched in February, and those of the 3rd-generation CS75 Plus and CS55 Plus will be launched this year.
From a Changan Auto press release
Die Casting
Samkee Automotive Co., Ltd. (Samkee Automotive) announced that it will sell its Chinese subsidiary, Samkee Automotive (Shandong) Co., Ltd., to a local company as of April 28, 2024. The acquisition cost will be CNY 75.89 million (JPY 1.5 billion). The aluminum die casting manufacturer decided to sell the subsidiary to exit the car parts market in China. (From a press release on March 13, 2023)
On February 10, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that Samkee Corp., a major South Korean automotive supplier, plans to invest USD 128 million to open its first U.S. factory in Alabama.
The project that will create 170 jobs in Tuskegee, where it will become the city’s first auto parts manufacturer.
Samkee Corp. is poised to begin construction on the advanced casting facility and begin parts production during 2024 as a Tier 1 supplier to Hyundai Motor Co.
Founded in 1978, Samkee specializes in high-pressure die-cast aluminum components, including parts for engines, transmissions and electric vehicles, along with alloys.
The company currently operates manufacturing plants in South Korea and China.
(Alabama Department of Commerce release on February 10, 2023)