China-Germany Economic Ties: Electric car market an area of successful cooperation

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02:24

Merkel's visit to Shenzhen comes as one German-Chinese joint venture continues to thrive. Denza, the electric vehicle brainchild of Germany's Daimler AG and China's BYD, is enjoying sales growth, as well as increased production. But what will be the key to a solid future for Denza? CGTN's Mark Fontes visits their Shenzhen division for more.

In an era when electric vehicles continue to blaze new trails, Denza is one of the driving forces. The luxury line of electric cars combines German engineering with Chinese manufacturing.

YAN CHEN DENZA CEO "We base our production at BYD's plants. We take advantage of BYD's mature production capability to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. And, as a technology joint venture, we firmly follow Daimler's strict technology and production standards."

Standards in quality control and vehicle design are already seen in Daimler's other brands, like Mercedes Benz and Freightliner trucks. These German engineers are working with Shenzhen's team on Denza's noise level, or the lack thereof.

QIN QIONGBO DENZA ENGINEER "To operate for example, the radio or the video, to see whether the noise from the outside is acceptable or not."

"And do you find also that the customer is very satisfied because it is so quiet?"

"Yes."

YAN CHEN DENZA CEO "Germany is a strong nation in terms of automobile manufacturing, with advanced technology in manufacturing and ideas on management."

MARK FONTES SHENZHEN "One of these Denza 500's takes you about 500 kilometers on a full charge, that's roughly 311 miles. Experts say that's very comparable to a gas-consuming vehicle of the same size. They also say that as EV-technology gets better, electric vehicles will eventually overtake the gas-guzzlers."

Chen says while she's excited about that and more still to come, the present is all about continuing German-Chinese cooperation.

YAN CHEN DENZA CEO "We are glad to see the relationship between the two countries improving. With this sound foundation, I believe the political and economic exchange will keep deepening and widening. This will benefit a China-Germany joint venture company like ours."

Mark Fontes, CGTN, Shenzhen.