Detroit fetes figure in China auto industry
Lu Guanqiu, the founder of Chinese privately owned Wanxiang Group, has been recognized posthumously for his achievements in the United States, becoming the first Chinese person inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the historical home of the US car industry.
The industry’s top honor was presented at the ICON Convention Center in Detroit on Thursday.
“Wanxiang was also the first Chinese company to be inducted into the US Automotive Hall of Fame,” Lu Weiding, the chief executive of Wanxiang Group, told China Daily.
“I think it is important that this honor shows that the development of China’s auto industry must have contributed to the world over the years since China’s reform and opening-up. It also shows that Wanxiang has indeed made a huge contribution to the development of China’s auto industry,” said Lu Weiding, whose father, Lu Guanqiu, died in 2017 at the age of 72.
The day before the induction ceremony, an engraving of Lu’s signature was placed on permanent display at the Automotive Hall of Fame, which is promoted in Michigan as honoring the heroes of the auto industry.
“We are really excited to have Lu Guanqiu inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame and that he represents our first inductee from China. We’re just really excited, and this really kind of completes our global footprint,” Sarah Cook, the institution’s president, told China Daily.
Creativity and wits
In a statement, the hall of fame said: “Lu used his creativity and wits to evolve Wanxiang from a local bicycle-repair shop in the 1960s to a global supplier. Wanxiang was the first Chinese company to sell automobile parts to American original equipment manufacturers and now has operations in 22 states in the US.”
Lu was among those leading the drive for clean energy, starting several battery and electric-vehicle initiatives in the late 1990s. He then acquired and revived companies engaged in the clean energy sphere, A123 Systems and Fisker Automotive. The acquired operations were transformed into Karma Automotive, a luxury electricvehicle producer.
“Although we started from auto parts, it was very important for China’s auto industry to develop from auto parts manufacturing to complete vehicles,” Lu Weiding said.
“In particular, China has such a large auto market, and this huge market will also make a very important contribution to the world’s auto industry.”
Joseph Vitale, a board member of the hall of fame and chairman of the nominating committee, told China Daily: “China’s automotive industry is very important, very critical to the global automotive industry into the future.”
He said that China’s leadership in innovation “is profound and will escalate our movement toward sustainable vehicles that continue to change the lives of people”.
Founded in 1939, the hall of fame is a museum honoring notable leaders and innovators who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the automotive industry and mobility.
In the past 83 years, the institution has honored nearly 800 inductees.