At the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-Level Forum (2026) held in Beijing on April 11-12, Qi Yelong, an advanced materials expert from the Forward Technology Research Institute of DONGFENG GROUP's R&D Headquarters, delivered a speech.
Qi Yelong stated that the penetration rate of China's new energy vehicle market is growing rapidly, increasing from 13.4% in 2021 to 47.9% in 2025, achieving the target set by the New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035). The "first half of electrification" has yielded significant results.
Furthermore, competition in the "second half of intelligentization" has fully commenced. In 2025, the penetration rate of L2 and above autonomous driving reached nearly 65%, and the industry is actively promoting pilot applications for the integration of vehicles, roads, and cloud systems. It can be said that new technologies, including new software and new hardware, are becoming the new core competitiveness of the automotive industry.
Additionally, against the backdrop of electrification and intelligent transformation, lightweighting has become one of the core directions for the global automotive industry's transformation.
Qi Yelong explained that in the field of electrification, pure electric vehicles are significantly heavier than comparable internal combustion engine vehicles due to key components like power battery packs. Lightweighting is a key pathway to improving electrification efficiency. In the context of intelligentization, vehicle lightweighting plays a crucial role in redefining safety standards and balancing the weight increases caused by sensors, computing equipment, and other components.
Compared to traditional vehicles, new energy vehicles show a clear effect of improving efficiency through lightweighting. Qi Yelong also noted that systemic changes have occurred in manufacturing processes. Integrated structural designs, such as integrated battery bodies and integrated hot-formed door rings, are restructuring vehicle body architecture. Concurrent optimization assembly and intelligent-assisted control enable flexible production and precise control. These changes are driving manufacturing technology upgrades toward diversity and high efficiency.
Qi Yelong believes the skateboard chassis will be the mainstream architectural platform for the next generation of intelligent electric vehicles, developing toward high integration, modularity, and intelligentization. Using integrated die-casting technology as an example, 2022 saw the realization of integrated body die-casting, with 2023-2025 moving toward integrated die-casting battery packs. In the future, integration with CTC technology and upper-lower body decoupling technology will further enhance integration efficiency, providing support for the skateboard chassis.
Qi Yelong emphasized that the integrated die-casting industry has broad prospects. It is estimated that by 2030, the industry's annual output value will reach a scale of trillions of yuan. Concurrently, the usage of lightweight alloys per vehicle will exceed 400 kg, and vehicles in the 200,000-yuan price range will become the new threshold for technology adoption, with application scenarios further expanding.
Qi Yelong outlined four key research directions for integrated die-casting: Material Innovation: Developing high-fluidity, high-strength plasticity magnesium alloys and low-cost protection technologies. Manufacturing Model Innovation: Promoting modular split manufacturing for entire vehicles based on integrated die-casting to achieve parallel assembly of major systems. Integration of Front-End Design R&D with Tooling and Mold Design: Achieving process integration and procedure integration for better integrated design outcomes. Equipment Upgrades: Developing new die-casting equipment based on multi-point injection technology, ultimately achieving smooth, efficient, and green low-carbon manufacturing.
Qi Yelong believes that by 2030, integrated die-casting technology, as a revolutionary breakthrough in new energy vehicle manufacturing, will profoundly reshape the industry chain ecosystem. In the upstream materials sector, there will be continuous progress in further lightweighting and localization of Al-Si, Al-Mg, and Mg alloys. In the midstream mold and press sector, mold qualification rates will increase to over 98%, and presses will achieve breakthroughs in multi-point injection technology. In the downstream vehicle manufacturing sector, manufacturing costs will decrease by 30%, efficiency will improve by 30%, labor requirements will drop by 30%, and welding, final assembly, and painting production lines will undergo disruptive innovation.
Regarding DONGFENG GROUP's own strategy, Qi Yelong stated that its overall lightweighting path involves achieving multiple objectives, such as future planned vehicle lightweighting and competitiveness, through platform weight source control, model target decomposition management, and breakthroughs in core system technologies. In terms of core system technology breakthroughs, DONGFENG GROUP has specifically identified key directions in lightweighting systems, advanced materials, processes, and structural design, and will continue to invest in tackling critical core technologies.
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