GWM, BMW’s joint venture Spotlight Automotive to qualify for complete vehicle production

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In the latest announcement from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") regarding the 378th batch of the "List of Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products," two notable additions have caught the eye: "Spotlight Automotive Ltd." and "NIO Automotive Technology (Anhui) Co., Ltd." Both are marked as "newly established pure electric passenger vehicle manufacturing enterprises."

This inclusion signifies that these companies have sailed through relevant regulatory assessments and, pending the public notice period, are set to obtain the necessary production qualifications.

An aerial view of the Spotlight Automotive Project; photo credit: Spotlight

Spotlight Automotive Ltd. ("Spotlight") is a joint venture between Great Wall Motor and BMW Holding B.V., with each party holding a 50% stake. The company's focus lies on producing MINI-branded electric vehicles at the factory in Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu province.

Public records indicate that the Spotlight Automotive production facility project was officially inaugurated in Zhangjiagang on November 29, 2019, with a designed annual production capacity of 160,000 vehicles. According to the plan, Spotlight's products will be distributed through the sales and service networks of both the BMW Group and Great Wall Motor, based on brand segmentation.

In October of this year, the domestically produced, all-new MINI pure electric vehicles came off the assembly line at Spotlight’s factory. Scheduled for global market release in 2024, the initial batch of SOP models will be earmarked for export.

The Zhangjiagang plant is poised to become a primary production hub for the next-generation MINI full-electric vehicle models, manufacturing not only the all-new MINI COOPER but also a compact crossover.

The vehicle recently rolling off the production line is the high-spec SE version of the new-generation MINI COOPER, featuring a front-mounted single motor with a maximum power of 160kW and a peak torque of 330 N·m, respectively. The vehicle boasts a 54.2 kWh battery pack that enables a WLTP-rated range of 402 km. Additionally, it supports 11 kW AC slow charging and 95 kW DC fast charging.