Shanghai/Munich, January 11, 2022 – Aiways has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerated growth and entering more markets after completing a new round of financing worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- New investment and changes to top-level management will accelerate the development of the Aiways business
- William Chen and Charlie Zhang join Shanghai-based company as Chairman and CEO
- Aiways to expand its overseas presence in 2022, with the U5 SUV currently available in more than 10 European markets and Israel
The new investment has led to a restructuring of the board in line with Aiways’ global growth plans in 2022 and beyond. Long-standing shareholder Chen Xuanlin (William Chen) has become Chairman of Aiways. Chen has played a pivotal role in Aiways’ domestic and international growth with strategic and financial support since 2017, when the company was founded. Chen has been joined on the Aiways board by Zhang Yang (Charlie Zhang), a former VP of NIO. Both Chen and Zhang have extensive experience in the automotive industry and have long been advocates for new energy vehicles and the move to sustainable mobility.
Dr. Alexander Klose remains the Vice President of Overseas Operations based in Shanghai and Munich – spearheading the brand’s successful growth strategy in Europe and other global markets to come in 2022. Aiways’ Founder Samuel Fu will continue to serve as President from Shanghai.
The new investment and changes to top-level management will accelerate the development of the Aiways business globally – with a particular focus on new market launches, products and sustainable mobility, enhancing the user experience and developing the brand’s digital capabilities.
Aiways was the first electric vehicle start-up from China to start selling cars in Europe and continues to grow its presence on the continent. Aiways currently sells the battery-electric U5 SUV in ten European markets – Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, plus Israel – with more to follow throughout 2022.
Across all markets this year, the Aiways U5 SUV will be joined by the Aiways U6 SUV-Coupé. Both models are all-electric, offering accessible zero-emissions motoring, long-range and class-leading practicality. Aiways intends to release one new electric vehicle per calendar year in Europe.
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High resolution images can be found here: https://we.tl/t-YvSLR9MTpy
About Aiways
Founded in 2017, Aiways is a Shanghai-based personal mobility provider with its European HQ in Munich, Germany. It was the first Chinese startup to introduce an electric vehicle to the European market with the launch of the U5 in 2020 – a battery-electric SUV with impressive range, style, and quality. Aiways is rapidly continuing its expansion in Europe and beyond: order books are open in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Israel, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Sweden – with more markets to follow. The U5 SUV is produced at Aiways smart production facility in Shangrao – one of the most modern car production facilities in China. The IT- controlled processes with challenging quality gates follow the standards of Industry 4.0. With an initial production capacity of 150,000 units per annum, Aiways can increase this number to 300,000 units when global EV demand rises. Aiways’ next model for Europe will be the battery-electric U6 SUV-Coupé. With a focus on sophisticated aerodynamics, highly connected driving, safety technology, and a sporty design, the U6 SUV-Coupé is just the next chapter of Aiways’ promising future.
Media information
You can find all Aiways press releases and press kits, as well as a wide selection of high resolution, downloadable photographs, and video footage on the media website: http://media.ai-ways.eu/.
Aiways media contacts
Bernd Abel, Aiways Automobile Europe GmbH
+49-89-6931352-69
bernd.abel@ai-ways.com
Emma Hai, Aiways
+86 186 0104 2089
yang.hai@ai-ways.com / emma.hai@ai-ways.com
James Parsons, PFPR Communications
+44 (0)7725 257792
James.parsons@pfpr.com
