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In a joint factory in China, the E-Mini will be produced by BMW and e-cars from Great Wall.
(Photo: AFP)
Hong Kong The construction of a joint work of BMW with the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall for electric cars in China encounters obstacles. It is uncertain whether the joint venture will receive regulatory approval, Great Wall said Wednesday.
Nevertheless, the project was pursued further and the participants sought the green light of the authorities. With the compulsory announcement to the stock market, the Chinese car maker responded to a report of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The newspaper had reported, citing insiders, that the joint venture was in trouble. The talks were deadlocked on fundamental issues. So there are about different quality standards.
BMW reiterated that the project teams worked very well together and had made significant progress. “The teams will continue this work.” The German luxury-class manufacturer and Great Wall had announced the plan for a joint venture for electric cars in February 2018.
Initial discussions began two years earlier. In a joint factory in China, the E-Mini will be produced by BMW and e-cars from Great Wall. According to documents from Zhangjiagang City, where the factory is to be built, the plant has a production capacity of 320,000 vehicles a year.
Like other manufacturers, BMW is currently struggling with the worldwide decline in car demand. The gloomy business outlook is also a reason for growing doubts about the project, according to the newspaper. For Munich, China is by far the largest single market – as is the case for many western manufacturers. The country is the largest car market in the world and is driving forward the transition to alternative propulsion systems with numerous regulations and subsidies.
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