BAIC Qingdao base contributes significantly to the prosperity and development of Qingdao's automotive industry. [Photo/Qingdao News]

In the past decade, the automotive industry has experienced rapid development in the coastal city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province and has grown from less than 10 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) in output value into the city's most prominent industry with a total value exceeding 100 billion yuan.

Recently, a group of journalists were invited to visit the Qingdao base of the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) to see the innovative achievements of high-quality development.

BAIC, as a car manufacturer with strong production capabilities, market competitiveness, and brand influence, has contributed significantly to the prosperity and development of Qingdao's automotive industry.

BAIC, established in 1951, was the second automotive enterprise in New China. Over the past seven decades, it has achieved numerous firsts in the country's automotive industry.

The plant is currently engaged in the design, research, development, production, and sales of vehicles and spare parts. The carmaker has also made great efforts to promote pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. It currently has an annual production capacity of 450,000 units.

As one of four major industrial bases of BAIC, the Qingdao base has received a total investment of 15.2 billion yuan and covers an area of 1,700 mu (113 hectares). The first phase of the investment reached 7.7 billion yuan, with a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year. It has complete processes in stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly, adopting a digital supply chain management system, advanced production processes, and an internationally standardized quality control system. The overall automation rate of the production line is 90 percent.

During the visit, the media representatives had the opportunity to tour the intelligent production line of the BAIC Qingdao base and the comprehensive automobile museum.

In the intelligent workshop, various vehicle models, including off-road vehicles, light vehicles, and passenger cars, slowly rolled off the production line, destined for destinations across the country and beyond.