The intelligent off-road SUV M817 developed by Dongfeng and Huawei. [Photo/WeChat account: whkfq]
Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) is at the forefront of technological innovation in the automotive sector.
With a robust R&D investment exceeding 8 percent, Dongfeng is enhancing its capabilities in electrification and intelligence, boasting over 25,000 patents and leading the automotive industry's patent innovation index for three consecutive years.
The company is establishing global innovation centers, design centers, and software research institutes. These initiatives aim to transform the traditional automotive industry through digitalization, intelligence, and green technology, empowering every aspect from R&D, design and industrial production to marketing networks and logistics.
In the new energy passenger vehicle sector, Dongfeng is strengthening its brands such as M-Hero, Voyah, eπ, and Nammi. This strategy aims to create a brand portfolio covering luxury, high-end, and mainstream markets, pushing the industry chain towards high-end development.
At the 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Auto Show, the Voyah Free+ made a remarkable debut, featuring Huawei's QianKun Intelligent Drive 4.0 and HarmonyOS Cockpit 5.0. This model, the first collaboration between Voyah and Huawei, is set to begin pre-sales this month.
During Auto Shanghai 2025, Dongfeng launched its "Tianyuan Intelligent" technology brand, which includes smart car cabins, advanced driver assistance systems, and AI assistants. It is also accelerating the development of embodied intelligence technology, end-to-end large AI models, and OS operating systems.
In May, Dongfeng and Huawei signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement to deepen collaboration in automotive intelligence, enterprise digitalization and upgrades, and ecosystem co-building. This milestone represents a significant step for Dongfeng towards high-end, intelligent, and global development.
Dongfeng is focusing on key areas such as smart connected vehicles and the three-electric system, advancing patent innovation towards a new stage that emphasizes quality. The company has established 80 high-value patent clusters and aims to exceed 100 by the end of this year.
Dongfeng's L2-level advanced driver-assistance products have sold nearly 2 million units. The company is also participating in pilot projects in Wuhan, Shiyan, and Xiong'an New Area, contributing to local smart transportation infrastructure development with applications like smart port trucks and urban smart logistics.
As part of its integration into the Belt and Road Initiative, Dongfeng has developed several overseas models, completed over 100 vehicle overseas adaptability developments, and expanded its product reach to more than 100 countries and regions across Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with overseas sales exceeding 1.5 million units.
A Dongfeng spokesperson highlighted that the company is using overseas R&D resources to align with international standards in automotive electronic architecture development, independent hybrid system development, and autonomous driving prototype development.
