(Yicai Global) Aug. 30 -- In the future cars are more likely to resemble electronic devices than machines, according to the chief executive of Rising Auto, a new energy vehicle unit of China’s biggest automaker, SAIC Motor.

“The car of the future will not necessarily be a mechanical product,” Wu Bing said in a recent interview with media outlets, including Yicai Global. “It’s likely to have more electronic properties.”

Recently introduced NEVs have had smart cockpits and intelligent driving assistants, he said, adding that NEV startups such as Nio and other producers like Rising Auto with backgrounds in traditional car companies use these features to attract buyers.

With the development of artificial intelligence and networking, the car is becoming a mobile intelligent space, which will trigger massive change in the business model and business logic of the entire auto industry, Wu also noted. So all manufacturing sectors need a detailed understanding of changing customer needs, he said.

“The company’s entire business and value chains should be reconstructed according to user needs, and existing digital tools will have to be used to capture the real needs of customers,” Wu pointed out.

Formed last October, Rising Auto offers various models: sedans, sport utility vehicles, and multi-purpose vehicles, and focuses on middle- and high-end smart NEVs priced at CNY200,000 to CNY400,000 (USD29,000 to 58,000). And it plans to launch at least one new model a year through 2025, with annual sales growth of at least 100 percent.

Rising Auto has 212 sales outlets in 83 cities in China and 19 delivery centers in 16 cities. The firm also has 114 branded charging stations, over 1,000 authorized charging stations, and more than 520,000 third-party charging piles, according to data provided by the company.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Peter Thomas