German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited BMW Brilliance's Tiexi Plant in Shenyang, capital city of Liaoning province, on Tuesday, marking the moment of the carmaker's first locally produced plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle.

Along with associates at the plant, Merkel witnessed the all-new BMW X1 plug-in hybrid rolling of the production line in the plant, which houses the very latest intelligent manufacturing technologies of BMW Group.

Liaoning provincial Governor Chen Qiufa, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Harald Krueger and President& CEO of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd Qi Yumin accompanied Merkel on her tour of the plant.

BMW Brilliance has established itself as a role model in China's automotive industry. The Sino-German joint venture's Tiexi Plant is viewed as a shining example of intelligent manufacturing and sustainable production in China.

Digitalization is used for both production processes and social and environmental protection. For example, the Power Wall simplifies line balancing by greatly increasing the flexibility of the production line. It easily manages the complicated process of merging multiple vehicle models during the manufacturing process, and enhances the compatibility between mass produced vehicles and niche models.

Cyber Gloves, which will include scanning functions, will be introduced in the near future. The gloves will simplify handling for workers and also aid "pick and place" tasks on assembly lines. Tablet PCs with photo scanning capabilities will work as portable "virtual reality" devices to connect real geometrical parts data with Computer Aided Design data.

All of this will mean that experts will be able to run analysis and solve problems during production much faster than before, and optimized working stations with continuously improving ergonomics will protect the long-term health of employees. In addition, the big-data-based analysis system that precisely calculates energy consumption will ensure that energy is not wasted.

BMW Brilliance will continue to spearhead sustainable development in the coming age of digitalization and intelligent manufacturing. Its research and development capability continues to grow; there are currently hundreds of engineers working at the R&D center in Shenyang, focusing on the development of new energy vehicles.

BMW Brilliance's X1 plug-in hybrid marks the next step in new energy vehicle production.

During the tour of the Tiexi plant, Krueger explained the company's overall NEV strategy to Merkel, including its strategic planning and localization development. With continuous growth in the Chinese NEV market, BMW Brilliance launched the first premium electric sport activity vehicle in China, the Zinoro 1E, as well as BMW 530Le, the country's first luxury plug-in hybrid business sedan.

BMW believes that convenient and cost-effective charging solutions that enable customers to charge anywhere are key to giving NEVs mass market appeal.

BMW Brilliance's production sites include the Dadong and Tiexi car manufacturing plants, which have a combined production capacity of 300,000 units per year, as well as a new engine plant in Shenyang. Locally produced product ranges include BMW's 2/3/5 series, and X1.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (center) and Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Harald Krueger (left) talk with an employee at BMW Brilliance's Tiexi Plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on Tuesday. Provided To China Daily