National People's Congress Representative and Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyao: Strengthening the Automotive Industry Foundation through Innovation and Safety

Report Team of the Two Sessions in China Liu Zhao

Against the backdrop of accelerating electrification and intelligence, China’s automotive industry is at a critical stage of transitioning from “big” to “strong.” During this year’s National Two Sessions, Yin Tongyao, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Chairman of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. (“Chery”), told Securities Daily that for the “14th Five-Year Plan,” China’s automotive industry must continue to strengthen technological innovation, while also achieving higher-quality development in safety standards, globalization, and supply chain coordination.

Yin Tongyao believes that the current automotive industry is in a crucial period of rapid technological evolution. Companies are exploring different paths in intelligent and autonomous driving fields. However, regardless of technological development, safety remains an unbreakable bottom line for the industry. He stated that as more new technologies enter mass production, regulatory authorities are continuously improving technical entry thresholds and standards, which is vital for healthy industry development. While promoting technological innovation, companies must prioritize safety in product R&D and application to ensure new technologies are reliable and stable enough to withstand market testing.

Regarding technological innovation, Yin Tongyao said that China’s automotive industry has shifted from mainly following international technology systems to gradually participating in and even leading the formulation of standards in new energy vehicles and intelligent connected cars. In the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, industry development should not only focus on expanding from “1 to 100” but also accelerate original breakthroughs “from 0 to 1,” driving progress in green, low-carbon, and intelligent driving fields.

At the same time, Yin Tongyao mentioned that industry competition ultimately depends on systemic capabilities. Whether it is brand elevation or global deployment, continuous improvement in quality, management, R&D, and supply chain coordination is essential. Enterprises should seize new opportunities brought by artificial intelligence, enhance quality and efficiency in R&D and manufacturing, and oppose low-level “involution,” relying more on technological progress, management optimization, and quality improvement to build competitive advantages.

Yin Tongyao stated that China’s automotive industry already has a relatively complete industrial system and broad development space. In the future, with sustained enhancement of innovation capacity, solidification of safety bottom lines, and steady progress in globalization, China’s automotive industry is expected to achieve new breakthroughs in the next wave of industrial transformation and occupy a more important position in the global value chain.

(Edited by Wen Jing)

Keywords: