On March 5th, the day of the twenty-four solar terms, spring thunder rang, and all things revived.

At 8 a.m., Yin Tongyue, chairperson of Chery Holding Group, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and red-and-white tie, spoke to reporters in high spirits and told the world about the rise of Chinese automobiles through personal experience at the first "representative channel" of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress.

(Representative Yin Tongyue was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency in the "representative channel")

Work hard and try hard, find a great career in a shabby house

"Twenty-seven years ago, Chery started its business from a few small thatched cottages. We lacked capital, technology and talent. At that time, the market was basically monopolized by foreign capital or joint venture brands. There was a popular saying in the industry that Chinese people owned their own trunk cars, which was a fantasy." Looking back, Yin Tongyue, who is 62 years old and has worked in cars all his life, has a vivid past and mixed feelings.

In the 1990s, almost all cars on China’s roads had foreign logos, and few national car brands. At that time, Yin Tongyue, who graduated from Hefei University of Technology with a major in automobile manufacturing, was the director of the final assembly workshop of Changchun FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd., and the leaders in his hometown of Wuhu, Anhui Province, mobilized him to return to his hometown to start a business. He said that "Chinese people want to make their own cars", which made him always have a dream of "building Chinese cars".

In 1996, Yin Tongyue resolutely bid farewell to FAW and returned to his hometown of Wuhu to build cars. But the ideal is very rich, and the reality is very skinny. At that time, there was only a brick factory and a few thatched houses in front of him. Capital, technology, and talents were not only in front of Yin Tongyue, but also a chasm that must be crossed by the rise of Chinese national car companies.

Faced with many difficulties, Yin Tongyue was not discouraged. With the support of the governments of Anhui Province and Wuhu City, he led the team to overcome difficulties regardless of cold or heat, day or night. He simply drew the first blueprint of Chery Automobile in a thatched hut, and began the road to counterattack and realize his dream.

In January 1997, Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. was established.

In May 1999, Chery independently developed the first engine and successfully launched it.

In December 1999, Chery’s "Fengyun" first bridge car rolled off the assembly line, and then successively launched Qiyun, Dongfang Son, QQ, Tiggo and other series models;

In August 2007, Chery’s 1 million car rolled off the assembly line, becoming a leader in national automobile brands.

So…

In 2023, Chery sold 1.881 million cars, an increase of 52.6% year-on-year, and exported 937,000 cars, an increase of 101.1% year-on-year, ranking first in the export volume of Chinese brand passenger cars for 21 consecutive years; the group’s annual revenue exceeded 300 billion yuan for the first time, an increase of more than 50% year-on-year.

"For more than 20 years, we have persisted in hard work, openness and innovation, adhered to the leadership of party building, and strengthened the foundation. Together with other Chinese car companies and joint venture brands, we have jointly supported the backbone of Chinese manufacturing and jointly built China into the world’s largest exporter. Looking at the current day, Yin Tongyue is full of passion and his tone is sonorous. Although he has full hair, he still seems to be a teenager.

Chery’s extraordinary development process is a vivid microcosm of the gradual rise of China’s national automobile industry from scratch, from small to large, and from large to strong. From the streets full of foreign cars, one of the world’s major car importers, to selling Chinese cars to the world and the world’s largest car exporter, this reverse attack proves a truth: as long as you want to do it, there is nothing that the Chinese can’t do!

Innovation, surging new quality productivity

"Chinese companies, especially Chinese automobiles, will continue to increase investment in research and development, increase investment in branding, and create the ultimate product power, adding luster to Chinese manufacturing, Chinese creation, and Chinese brands." As a witness and witness of the development of China’s automobile industry, Yin Tongyue, who has experienced the wind and rain and seen the rainbow, looks to the future with clear ideas and full of confidence.

Automobiles have always been known as the "crown jewel of modern industry" and are the culmination of modern industrial technology. Because a car is assembled and rolled off the assembly line, it relies on 20,000 multiple parts, and its manufacturing process involves a lot of high-precision technology and strict fine management. The automobile industry is recognized as one of the most important symbols of a country’s manufacturing strength.

To shatter the fallacy that Chinese self-made cars are a "fantasy", we must first break through the "stuck neck" technology of car building and have independent intellectual property rights on key components. The engine is called the "heart" of the car. In May 1999, more than two years after the company was established, Chery’s first self-developed engine was successfully rolled off the assembly line and ignited successfully. From that moment on, Chery, which has the "heart of China", has embarked on the fast lane of relying on technological innovation to promote development.

In February this year, the founder of the world-famous engine design company AVL Austria, Helmut Liszt, visited Chery. The world-class technology expert expressed sincere admiration for the latest technological achievements displayed by this former "student". He said: "In our cooperation, we have deeply felt the diligence, studiousness and innovative spirit of Chery people. I am very pleased to see that Chery has now not only reached the world’s leading level in engine research and development, but also excellent in other aspects of the vehicle."

Now, Chery’s products are exported to more than 80 countries and regions, and the global users exceed 13 million, of which overseas users 3.35 million. From "building cars for the Chinese people" to "driving to the world", to a certain extent, Chery’s development history is a history of innovation. In Chery, in addition to automobile manufacturing plants, there is also a technological innovation factory, which is closely related to the deep integration to achieve rapid application of new technologies and promote rapid product upgrade and iteration.

At present, Chery has a global R & D system including eight major R & D centers in North America, Europe, and Shanghai, and has obtained more than 18,000 authorized patents, of which 37% are authorized patents, ranking 21st in the "National Top 500 Enterprise Science and Technology Innovation". It is the super vitality of the mature R & D system that has given the Chinese Autobots represented by Yin Tongyue the confidence and confidence to "make progress".

A flower alone is not spring,

The garden is filled with thousands and thousands of red and spring.

Behind Chery, stands a rapidly rising central automobile province – Anhui. Thanks to the super-strong scientific and technological innovation of many universities and research institutes, Anhui has made overall arrangements in recent years, attracted internal connections, and made deep efforts. Now there are not only Chery, but also Jianghuai, NIO, BYD Anhui, Hefei Chang’an, Volkswagen Anhui, Hanma Technology and other 7 vehicle companies in total. In 2023, the output of automobiles reached 2.491 million, ranking second in the country. Among them, the output of new energy vehicles was 86.8, ranking fourth in the country, and the revenue of the entire automobile industry chain exceeded trillion.

The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Integrate scientific and technological innovation resources, lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerate the formation of new quality productive forces." In 2023, Anhui will make the automobile industry the "first industry", aiming at the goal of "building an internationally competitive new energy automobile industry cluster", taking the lead in legislating in the country, escorting and striving to build China’s new energy automobile industry center.

"In the next decade, we will not only pursue the world’s No. 1 in sales and scale, but also strive to be a global leader in technological innovation capabilities, quality reputation, and social responsibility; and provide Chinese wisdom for global users to pursue a better way of life." Looking to the future, Yin Tongyue has a torch in his eyes and ambitions. At this moment, he not only represents Chery, but also Anhui car companies, and also represents the surging Chinese auto industry to issue a declaration to the world: World cars, made in China! The era of China’s automobile voyage is striding forward!