Henan's automotive manufacturing sector is poised for another major breakthrough, as industry giants BYD Company Limited and Chery have made significant strategic moves in the province recently.

Yesterday, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu visited Henan again, just six months after his previous trip. Back in February, Wang had toured the Zhengzhou Port Area to inspect new project construction and publicly stated during meetings with provincial leadership that BYD would increase its investment and strategic layout in Henan. This recent visit appeared to focus on progress review, project acceptance, and commitment fulfillment.

What projects have captured Wang's attention? According to reports, he visited two key locations with Provincial Party Secretary Liu Ning: the BYD Zhengzhou Racing Circuit, China's first all-terrain racing track for new energy vehicles that officially opened on August 14, and the recently launched BYD Global Mold Center in Zhengzhou.

These two projects represent automotive culture and core technology respectively. Combined with the BYD showroom that Wang personally inaugurated last year, it's clear that BYD's strategy in Henan extends far beyond simple vehicle manufacturing. The company appears to be using Henan as a strategic hub to build a comprehensive industrial ecosystem covering everything from technology R&D and vehicle production to customer experience including viewing, purchasing, using, and enjoying cars. When combined with the BYD Zhengzhou Super Factory, which has achieved cumulative production exceeding one million vehicles, this integrated layout is unique nationwide.

Wang's substantial entourage suggests the visit involved more than just project progress reviews. Notably, BYD successfully acquired 691 acres of industrial land in Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone yesterday, which, based on current land area and future planning, will become BYD's largest global production base.

Meanwhile, automotive giant Chery has also been increasing its presence in Henan. On August 18, Chery's Henan company in Kaifeng rolled out a new vehicle model developed specifically for global markets. Given that Chery has been China's leading vehicle exporter for consecutive years and views overseas markets as a primary battlefield, launching a globally-targeted model in Henan carries significant strategic importance.

This momentum is already reflected in the data. In the first half of this year, Kaifeng's automotive exports reached 6.62 billion yuan, a 67.4% year-over-year increase, with the majority attributed to Chery's growth. The general manager of Chery's Henan subsidiary has boldly stated plans to create a "new Chery" in Henan within 3-5 years.

Why are these industry leaders continuously increasing their investments? Henan's performance in the current automotive industry reshuffling has been exceptionally impressive. According to National Bureau of Statistics data for the first half of the year, Henan produced 679,400 vehicles, a 93.65% year-over-year increase leading the nation, rising from 17th to 12th place nationally. New energy vehicle production has entered the national top ten.

Compared to Guangdong's strong foundation and technical capabilities, or Anhui's obvious cluster effects with Chery, NIO, and JAC, Henan has maintained clear awareness of its unique advantage during this overtaking maneuver: location.

From the new international land port being built ten times larger than the current one near BYD's facilities, to the recently announced construction of six hub economy pilot zones, Henan continues to amplify this locational advantage, which clearly holds significant importance in automotive giants' global expansion plans.

Of course, factors like vast market potential and complete supply chains are also crucial determinants of whether Henan can advance further. In the traditional fuel vehicle era, industrial powerhouse Henan's dream of becoming an automotive hub remained unrealized. Entering the new energy vehicle age, Henan appears increasingly close to achieving this ambition.