State-owned Dongfeng revs up electrification drive

Aeolus, a marque of Chinese carmaker Dongfeng, released its plan on Tuesday to go electrified, saying that its models will be either electric ones or plug-in hybrids by 2024.

From the year on, Aeolus will launch at least two new energy vehicle models a year from 2024. It will build a lineup of up to eight such models by 2026.

Dongfeng also unveiled an electric brand, called e pi, and its first model at the auto show as well.

Last month, the retail sales of NEVs in China expanded 21.9 percent year-on-year to 543,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

During the first quarter, the retail sales of NEVs jumped 22.4 percent year-on-year to 1.31 million units.