China builds a car every 60 seconds: Why Beijing's auto assembly is the fastest on Earth
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Lightning Frame
At GAC’s Yichang plant, robots assemble a car frame every 46 seconds—a feat in automation rivaling any global factory, according to production benchmarks in Asia.
Minute Car
Xiaomi’s electric SU7 rolls off the line every 76 seconds, using ultra-streamlined tech and automation—blitzing through production at a rate of nearly 40 EVs per hour.
Speed Factory
Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory turns raw parts into a Model Y in just 2.5 hours, setting a global pace that even Elon Musk calls “astonishingly fast.”
Mega Output
BYD churned out 3 million NEVs in just a few months during 2024—a scale-up so massive it reflects China's unmatched production capacity.
Shape Shifters
At GAC, robot-powered lines switch between six car models on the fly, using AI calibration and standardized tech to keep things flowing without pause.
Brand Fusion
Foreign auto giants like BMW and Nissan harness China’s lightning-fast factories through joint ventures, matching domestic speed with international precision.
Robot Surge
Robots like ABB’s IRB weld and move car bodies with flawless speed, trimming downtime and boosting production accuracy to new heights.
Swift Check
Ultraviolet defect scanners inspect fast-built cars in real time, proving that speed doesn’t mean sacrificing quality, per QA reports from industry analysts.
Export Empire
With over 28 million vehicles built annually, China’s been the top car producer since 2008—and in 2023, it led in exports too, per the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers.