HANGZHOU, March 4 (Xinhua) — Geely Holding Group announced Wednesday that it has begun construction on an intelligent satellite production and testing center, making it the first private carmaker to produce satellites in China.
The new facility is being built by Geely Holding Group's subsidiary, Geely Technology Group, in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang province.
The cutting-edge facility will include a modular satellite manufacturing center, a satellite testing center, a satellite R&D center and a cloud computing center. It will be able to develop and produce a variety of different satellite models.
The satellite strategy will be implemented by Geespace, a Geely-run company established in 2018 for the development, launch and operation of low-orbit satellites.
By the end of 2020, Geespace will begin the launch of its commercial low-orbit satellite network that will facilitate highly accurate navigation for self-driving cars.
Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, said: "Today, the automotive industry faces huge challenges and equally huge opportunities. Geely must take the initiative to embrace change, develop through innovation, find new synergies online and offline, and cooperate with global partners to become a global technology leader, drive change in mobility, and create new value for users."
Li said Geely's entry into the field of satellites is part of its transformation into a global mobility technology group.
Geely's expansion into low-orbit satellites marks a significant milestone in the creation of a truly smart three-dimensional mobility ecosystem. Low-orbit satellites will be able to offer high-speed internet connectivity, highly precise navigation and cloud computing capabilities, the carmaker said.