A number of government officials and enterprise representatives take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Spotlight Automotive Production Base held in Zhangjiagang on June 20. [Photo/Official WeChat account: zjgsrmzf]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Spotlight Automotive Production Base was held in the port city of Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province on June 20. A number of government officials and enterprise representatives gathered to witness the special moment.

The plant was jointly launched by Great Wall Motors and BMW in 2019, and is listed as one of the country's key foreign funded projects. It will have a standard capacity of up to 160,000 vehicles per year after being put into operation, and require around 4,000 employees after the ramp-up phase.

The two enterprises agreed to invest about 5.1 billion yuan ($721 million) into the joint venture, aiming to develop and produce electric cars for the global market. Spotlight Automotive plans to develop and produce both electric BMW MINIs and Great Wall Motors' vehicles, and will carry out procurement, warehousing and logistics.

Zhao Guoqing, the joint venture's chairman, said that the plant will uphold the development principle of "intelligent manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection," and focus on high-quality development.

Zhao added that the plant will make the most of the respective advantages of Great Wall Motors and BMW.

Pan Guoqiang, Party secretary of Zhangjiagang, said that the city will offer full support to the joint venture project.