A new production base for the BAIC New Energy Vehicles Co, a subsidiary of China's 5th-largest automotive group, Beijing Automotive Group, has recently commenced construction in the Laixi area, on the outskirts of Qingdao, Shandong province. The new build is expected to become the world's largest electronic vehicle (e-vehicle) production base.

Construction work on the base, which covers 1,000 mu (66.7 hectares), is scheduled for completion by the end of July 2015 and will have a production capacity of 50,000 cars by the end of 2017. The base is expected to help automotive-related enterprises generate a total industrial output value up to 15 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) and create over 3,000 job opportunities for locals. It will mainly deal with the welding, coating and final assembly of e-vehicles and will produce the C30DB and M30RB series of cars and the A00 series, which is still in the design phase.

Zheng Gang, the GM of BAIC New Energy Vehicles, explained that "the C30DB and M30RB are family cars and commercial vehicles, whilst the A00 is a kind of scooter for customers in second and third-tier cities" and that the C30DB and M30RB both use a government-approved lithium battery.

The company also signed a purchase agreement for 100 e-cars; the Laixi government will use it to develop its transportation.