China's Chery produces 5 million cars this year

BEIJING: Chinese automaker Chery on Friday became the first company in the country to produce five million cars in the first six months of this year.

The five millionth car, Chery's best-selling model Arrizo5, rolled off a production line on Friday capped a good year for the company in defiance of a market downturn.

Chery sold 50,540 vehicles in November, up 22.9 per cent year on year. Its sales hit 252,439 in the first six months of 2015, up 17 per cent from the same period last year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China's total car sales rose only 1.4 per cent in the first half.

Chery was founded in Wuhu of east China's Anhui Province in 1997. It took 10 years to produce its first million cars. Over its history, the company has invested 30 billion yuan ($4.6 billion) in research and development, and has applied 7,308 national patents.

It independently produces new-energy cars, engines and gearboxes. It is now looking to the future as Chinese carmakers become less reliant on foreign partners and try to break into foreign markets.

"The next five years are a period of prime opportunity for Chinese automakers, as Internet technology combined with new energy solutions will bring a reshuffle to the world's auto industry," said Chery Ceo Yin Tongyue.

A joint venture between Chery and the UK's Jaguar Land Rover produces Chery's self-developed models as well as China-made Land Rovers.

Chery has exported over 1.2 million vehicles to more than 80 countries and regions.