Tongnan: Accelerating to Build China's Premier Automotive Aftermarket
"Our intelligent laser micro-grooving equipment achieves internationally leading precision in automotive chip manufacturing!"
"Through crosstalk cancellation technology, personalized 3D sound field experiences can be realized in automotive audio systems!"
On August 28, the finals of the 10th Maker China Automotive Remanufacturing SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition were held in Tongnan, Chongqing. Thirty-five projects (20 enterprise-group and 15 startup-group) that stood out from 183 entries across 22 Chinese provinces/regions competed on the "Tong" stage, showcasing cutting-edge innovations in automotive remanufacturing with vast market potential.
On the same day, the "Invest in Tongnan?Create the Future" Investment and Trade Cooperation Conference convened. Fourteen projects were signed, including the Western Automotive Aftermarket Industrial Cluster, Technology-Empowered Industrial Transformation, Aluminum Remanufacturing, and Industrialization of Automotive Chip & Precision Component Manufacturing Technology and Equipment. These projects span automotive aftermarkets, digital economy, and new energy/new-type energy storage, strengthening Tongnan's automotive remanufacturing industrial and ecological chains.
These dual flagship events, hosted simultaneously in Tongnan, stimulate innovation vitality, facilitate supply-demand matchmaking, promote integration of "four chains" (industry, talent, innovation, capital), and accelerate enterprise collaboration—propelling Tongnan toward its goal of becoming "China's Premier Automotive Aftermarket Base."
Sustained Event Hosting
Leveraging "Maker China" to Discover High-Quality Enterprises and Drive Achievement Transformation
Signing Ceremony at the 10th Maker China Automotive Remanufacturing Competition
On August 29, the 10th Maker China Automotive Remanufacturing SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition concluded successfully in Tongnan. Jointly organized by the MIIT Cybersecurity Industry Development Center, Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, and Tongnan District Government under the theme "Automotive Remanufacturing?Tongnan Power Creates the Future," the competition focused on core areas like vehicle dismantling, power battery echelon utilization, and intelligent connected vehicle systems. It attracted 183 projects from 22 provinces/regions—a 46% year-on-year increase, setting a record high.
After intense competition, the "Ansheng—Creating Immersive Acoustic Experiences for Multi-Scenario Automotive Applications" project won the enterprise-group first prize with its crosstalk cancellation and independent audio zoning technology. The "Industrialization of Automotive Chip & Precision Component Manufacturing Technology and Equipment" project secured the startup-group top award with its globally leading intelligent laser micro-grooving equipment. Other winning projects covered key areas like NEV battery cooling, CCD intelligent inspection, and lithium battery regeneration.
This marks Tongnan's second consecutive year hosting the event. Dong Xiaolu, Deputy Director of the MIIT Cybersecurity Industry Development Center, highlighted at the awards ceremony that the Maker China Competition has gathered over 200,000 high-quality projects in a decade, identifying 372 "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" SMEs and 153 "Little Giant" enterprises via its "green channel" policy. Leveraging its industrial foundation and innovation scenarios, Tongnan has become a vital hub for discovering promising enterprises and commercializing achievements.
For instance, local Tongnan enterprises—Beisiyuan New Energy ("Innovation-Driven NEV Aftermarket") and Prism Energy ("Zero-Carbon Intelligent Manufacturing Project for One-Step Lithium Carbonate Battery Regeneration")—won enterprise-group second and third prizes, respectively. Their localized transformation will empower regional manufacturing upgrades.
"Tongnan has established robust planning and top-level design, where the competition significantly boosts industrial development," stated Luo Jianfu, Vice President of the China National Resources Recycling Association. He emphasized that green, smart, and low-carbon trends necessitate accelerated manufacturing transformation, urging tailored planning aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Accelerated Industrial Cluster Development
Cooperation Conference Drives Chain-Building Investment
How promising is the automotive aftermarket?
"This is a market with enormous potential, and I hold an optimistic outlook," said Guo Dong, Vice Dean of Chongqing University of Technology’s Vehicle Engineering School. As NEV penetration and ownership surge, the remanufacturing market for "three-electric systems" (especially battery recycling and echelon utilization) shows immense potential. With massive NEV powertrains reaching end-of-life in coming years, this sector offers substantial growth space.
Guo advised Tongnan to build a multi-chain integrated cluster ecosystem: 1. Establish a talent pipeline via university partnerships; 2. Cultivate industrial clusters through policy support and funding; 3. Create special funds for cluster development; 4. Build innovation achievement incubation mechanisms to localize R&D outcomes.
Tongnan’s actions align with this vision. Its automotive aftermarket industry-education integration base was selected for Chongqing’s 2025 Regional Industry-Education Consortium, while its "Automotive Aftermarket Industrial Cluster" was approved as a municipal SME characteristic cluster.
Among signed projects, the "Western Automotive Aftermarket Industrial Cluster" will establish an integrated platform covering vehicle dismantling, part remanufacturing, recycled material utilization, and cross-border trade. Leveraging Tongnan’s strategic location (30 mins to Chongqing CBD, 60 mins to Chengdu), it will serve aftermarket demand across Sichuan-Chongqing-Guizhou. The "Automotive Chip & Precision Component Manufacturing Technology and Equipment Industrialization" project—developed by competition finalist Precision Manufacturing Team and Tongnan—will fill regional gaps in chip manufacturing with its proprietary laser micro-grooving technology.
Concurrently, the Chongqing Branch Center of Shanghai Lingang's "Going Global" Comprehensive Service Platform was inaugurated in Tongnan. This liaison office will provide aftermarket enterprises with cross-border settlement and international certification services, empowering "Made in Tongnan" components globally.
Fu Zonglun, Inspector of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, affirmed Tongnan’s industrial capacity: "Tongnan annually recycles 150,000 end-of-life vehicles, remanufactures 200,000 part sets, and processes 220,000 tons of NEV batteries. Signed projects will further strengthen chains, advancing Tongnan toward becoming China’s premier automotive aftermarket base." Currently, Tongnan hosts nearly 30 remanufacturing enterprises—including Changan Auto, Hongxi Auto, and Prism Energy—leading Western China in automotive recycling and remanufacturing.
Anchoring the "National No.1" Goal
Building a New Automotive Aftermarket Ecosystem
Workers stacking recycled high-value auto parts at Chongqing Hongxi Auto Technology Co., Ltd. / Photo by Wang Lang
What’s Next After the Dual Events?
Tongnan proposed a "Four Joint Initiatives" for long-term industrial development:
1. Jointly construct a full-lifecycle resource circulation system
Integrate material, energy, information, and capital flows; connect scrapped vehicles to the national solid waste management platform; establish a "production-recycling-dismantling-regeneration" closed-loop system.
2. Jointly pioneer synergistic development patterns
Leverage Tongnan’s "Vehicle Nest" big data platform to collaborate with national auto clusters; establish cross-province scrapped vehicle recycling/remaufacturing mechanisms; integrate into global resource circulation systems.
3. Jointly explore new innovation paradigms
Establish a "Remanufacturing Innovation Consortium" to advance core technologies like sorting/purification and laser cladding; develop "AI vision + robotics" intelligent dismantling systems for efficient recycling and refined material sorting.
4. Jointly establish globally aligned standards
Capitalize on China’s NEV production leadership to pioneer international standards for high-value battery regeneration; participate in EU carbon footprint mutual recognition; align with global ESG standards.
As outcomes of these dual events materialize, Tongnan—with "green and low-carbon" as its ecological foundation and "innovation-driven" as its growth engine—will advance high-quality automotive remanufacturing development, energizing its vision for "China’s Premier Automotive Aftermarket."
(By Peng Guangrui, Wu Zhijie, Xie Xintong)