On January 14, the Times Changan 25GWh power battery production base project was launched in the Sichuan-Chongqing Gaozhu New Area (Chongqing section), with a total investment of approximately 5.5 billion yuan. It will provide new energy vehicle power battery support for brands under Changan Automobile, including Avatr, Deepal, and Qiyuan.
As an automotive giant that grew up in Chongqing, Changan previously cooperated with CATL to establish a new energy vehicle power battery base in Yibin, Sichuan. This new project in the Sichuan-Chongqing Gaozhu New Area represents an extension and upgrade of the existing production capacity, adding a “key piece” to the new energy power battery industry in both Sichuan and Chongqing.
Why the New Project Settled in Gaozhu New Area
At the Times Changan Yibin factory production line in Sanjiang New Area, Yibin City, Sichuan Province, one battery cell rolls off the line every second, and a complete battery pack is produced every 2.5 minutes. In less than 3 hours, these batteries are transported to Changan Automobile’s Liangjiang factory, ready to be installed in new energy vehicles.
Last year, Changan Automobile, in partnership with CATL, put into operation the first-phase expansion project of the Times Changan power battery facility in Yibin, Sichuan. It achieved an annual power battery production capacity of 30GWh in the same year, supporting new energy vehicle models under Changan’s brands like Avatr, Deepal, and Qiyuan.
“Changan’s annual new energy vehicle production is about 1.2 million units, while the existing battery capacity can only meet the supporting demand for 700,000 to 800,000 units. There is an annual production gap of about 400,000 to 500,000 units, urgently requiring further expansion of the battery supply scale,” said the Times Changan project lead.
For Changan, the most direct benefit of locating the power battery project in Gaozhu New Area is the ability to simultaneously enjoy policy support and resource advantages from both Chongqing and Sichuan.
“For example, by coordinating the use of Sichuan’s lower public gas prices and Chongqing’s more advantageous industrial electricity prices, we can optimize factor allocation to reduce costs and increase efficiency,” the project lead said.
Furthermore, as the nation’s first cross-provincial provincial-level new area jointly built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Gaozhu New Area’s 311 “Sichuan-Chongqing Interconnected Services” items ensure efficient and convenient government services. Combined with its geographical advantage of being only 70 kilometers from Changan’s Liangjiang factory, this helps Changan achieve faster market response in power battery supply.
Currently, site leveling work for the project plot has been completed. Construction is expected to officially commence in the first quarter of this year, with formal production starting in the second half of 2027.
Beibei District Completes the New Energy Vehicle Industry Chain
“The lithium battery industry has many segments and a long supply chain. Once a ‘chain leader’ like Times Changan enters, it becomes much easier to assemble the entire industry chain puzzle,” said the Beibei District Party Committee Secretary.
He explained that an industrial cluster is an ecosystem. Chain leader enterprises can source upstream raw materials and components locally to reduce costs and engage in closer communication with supporting enterprises in R&D and manufacturing, mutually stimulating further innovation and iteration.
For instance, last year, the Chongqing Yuantai Motorcycle R&D and Production Base settled in the Beibei Park of the Science City. This was a strategic move by Hengjian Motorcycles based on the local automotive and motorcycle industry advantages. After the first batch of lightweight body off-road motorcycles rolled off the line, the project will achieve integrated R&D and production, with an estimated annual output value exceeding 2 billion yuan.
On the other hand, the lithium battery industry is a completely new sub-sector for Beibei. The massive production capacity and market demand of Times Changan give it strong attractiveness and bargaining power within the supply chain. In other words, upstream and downstream enterprises are willing to follow it, actively seeking cooperation opportunities.
In recent years, aligning with Chongqing’s goal of building a trillion-level intelligent connected new energy vehicle leading industry cluster, Beibei District has adhered to a strategy of “expanding upstream and extending downstream” to complete the industrial chain. It has released the “White Paper on the Development of Intelligent Connected New Energy Automotive and Motorcycle Industries” and introduced six major opportunity lists covering the entire chain, with a total scale of 22.5 billion yuan
