The world's leading automakers see China as a key destination to sell their new and more advanced electric vehicles as the country is the biggest market for EVs, with sales of 1.3 million vehicles and 40 percent of global sales.
International automakers, including Chrysler and Chevrolet, debuted new age electric vehicles at the 2022 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan on Wednesday. The auto show returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"China is a very important market globally and Chrysler has not had a branded vehicle in China for some time, we are looking at alternatives for what we can do to support our markets around the world whether it's Chrysler or some other brand," Christine Feuell, Chrysler brand CEO for Stellantis, told China Daily.
Chrysler announced that it aims to be fully electric by 2028. It has committed to launching Chrysler's first battery electric vehicle by 2025.
Chevrolet said China was a very important destination to consider, but added that it was still looking at how to bring its latest EV model to markets outside of the United States.
"We haven't spoken about international markets at this time (but yes China is important)," Josh Tavel, executive chief engineer of Chevrolet's Silverado EV, told China Daily.
Chevrolet, which is owned by General Motors, debuted its latest offering to the electric market at the auto show on Wednesday－its first all electric 2024 Silverado EV.
Tavel acknowledged that countries like China have embraced electric vehicles quickly, but he added that many projections suggest that North America will follow suit and General Motors wants to be at the forefront of this.
"We are 100 percent all in on making EV the future－and if you look at how General Motors is investing in EV in the future, we are 100 percent all in. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles will be out there in a couple of years. It's an exciting time," he added.
Andre Hudson, head of product design for California-based electric car startup IndiEV founded by Chinese game designer Shi Hai, said China was extremely important in its future plans.
"We have designed the vehicle for a global audience and will initially focus on North America. But we would like to take it to both Europe and Asia," Hudson said.
