China's Tech Ambitions Hinge on 20 Electric Versions of Detroit

摘要

Pieces of an electric car hang from the ceiling of the Chinese real-estate developer's showroom, evoking an edgy installation at a modern art museum. In reality, they're a symbol of the nation's industrial ambitions. Just down the neatly manicured road, about a dozen skyscrapers rise from the fields as Shunde New Energy Vehicle Town takes shape inside the city of Foshan, part of southern China's manufacturing heartland. Local officials boast that their planned hub for EV production and research could eventually generate 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in revenue for the hometown economy.