Dongfeng joins stampede of Chinese EV makers abroad with its Voyah Zhiyin all-electric SUV

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Dongfeng’s premium electric vehicle (EV) brand Voyah will be available in mid-September an all-electric sports-utility vehicle called Zhiyin for the export market

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Dongfeng Motor’s yet-to-open Voyah showroom at the Chamtime Plaza in Shanghai on Monday, March 8, 2021. Photo: Bloomberg

Yujie Xue

Published: 4:45pm, 11 Aug 2024Updated: 5:14pm, 11 Aug 2024

Dongfeng Motor, one of China’s largest carmakers and the partner of Nissan Motor and Stellantis, has become the latest assembler to join the stampede abroad to survive the brutal price war in the world’s largest vehicle market.

Dongfeng’s premium electric vehicle (EV) brand Voyah will release its all-electric sports-utility vehicle model called Zhiyin for export markets from mid-September, the carmaker’s chief executive Lu Fang said in a post on Saturday on the Weibo social media platform.

“Original design is crucial for Chinese cars to go global,” Lu said on the X-like platform, adding that he is confident that Zhiyin would gain recognition in the global market.

Unveiled last Monday, Zhiyin is Voyah’s fourth model in the brand’s line-up, using the smart cockpit and smart driving system produced by Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest provider of telecoms infrastructure. With a driving range of up to 901 kilometres (560 miles) on a single charge, the five-seat Zhiyin will be produced at the Dongfeng-Nissan factory in Wuhan.

Workers on an assembly line of Voyah in the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan on April 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Dongfeng, known as the Second Auto Works before being renamed to represent the “easterly winds” in Chinese, did not disclose any pricing details, or the destinations that Zhiyin will be shipped to.

Chinese EV manufacturers are increasingly looking for business opportunities overseas as domestic competition and price war are intensifying in the world’s largest automotive market.