According to a report by Agence France-Presse on April 26, hundreds of brand-new Zeekr electric vehicles are parked in the Ningbo factory's parking lot. Some models were designed just months ago, and this "Chinese speed" has inspired foreign entrepreneurs. Reportedly, inside a building constructed with steel-reinforced concrete and yellow steel frames, a massive robotic arm grabs aluminum components, cuts them, and hands them over to another robotic arm. Under the monitoring of several employees, the parts then leave the workshop. This highly automated production line can manufacture both the Zeekr 007 and the larger Zeekr 009 models, saving time and costs. Reports indicate that some trucks are transporting these electric vehicles on the road from Ningbo to Shanghai, possibly destined for countries like Australia, where they will face competition from Tesla, BYD, or BMW counterparts. Designing new models in less than two years, followed by rapid production and market entry, has set new standards for China’s relatively young automotive manufacturing industry. Bain & Company recently noted in a report that "for global major automakers, this is a critical moment." Bain estimates that the most innovative automakers spend "one-third less" on new models compared to traditional ones. Established automakers typically take 48 to 54 months to develop a new model, while newcomers only need 24 to 30 months. Multiple new models from Zeekr, BYD, or Geely appeared at the Shanghai Auto Show. The competition was fierce, with 2,755 new energy vehicle models from 163 automakers available in the Shanghai market, over 100 new models debuted at this year’s show. Western automakers' actions already seem sluggish. All of this is driven by the shift toward electric vehicles. In Europe, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo keeps citing Chinese speed as an example. Reportedly, suppliers also have to adapt to Chinese speed, such as car lighting manufacturers. Martin Fischer, president of French company Faurecia, explained that "previously, we could have three years to design a headlight, but it doesn't work in China because there are new trends every year. Now there is a highly organized system that can release a new headlight every nine months." At Valeo's Changshu plant, four large robotic devices are assembling LED headlights, which will be used in Zeekr and other Chinese or European vehicles. Jianmin Gu, Chief Technology Officer of Valeo China, pointed out, “Chinese automakers are strict, and foreign automakers are trying to follow.” (Translated by Lu Longjun) On March 7, people visited the Zeekr booth at the Sydney Family Energy and Electric Vehicle Exhibition in Australia. (Photo by Ma Ping) Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498270882595455488/ Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your opinions by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.