BAIC set to start own-brand passenger-car project

Shanghai, June 29 (Gasgoo.com) Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd. (BAIC) will start its own-brand passenger-vehicle project, with a total investment of 4.2 billion yuan ($618 million), in July this year.
 
BAIC will build a production base in Shunyi district, Beijing and plans to produce 300,000 passenger vehicles annually there by 2013. The project will build stamping, welding, painting and assembling four workshops to form an own-brand R&D and manufacturing system.


Reportedly, BAIC exhibited a pure electric car C30EV, a medium- and high-end sedan C71 and a hybrid cross-country vehicle B90 at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in April, and has designed the convertible-type passenger car BC306 and the commercial car BC301 at present.

The new C71 sedan, which is equipped with a 2- or 3-liter / 260-hp engine, will go into production in 2012. Moreover, the electric version of the C71 sedan will go into production also in 2012 and is expected to carry two 82-hp and 150-hp electric motors (speed 160 km/h, range 150 km).



In addition, BAIC is considering getting listed by packaging its passenger vehicle assets and giving up plans of going public as a whole soon. The move is to raise funds for developing its own-brand passenger vehicles.