Employees work on a Voyah assembly line in Wuhan, Hubei province, in January. CHINA DAILY

Voyah, the premium electric vehicle brand under China's Dongfeng Motor, is betting on full-chain control, faster product cycles and an expanding overseas footprint to secure a stronger position in the global EV race, said its chairman Lu Fang in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

Lu said Voyah's strategy is designed around a dual objective: supporting Dongfeng's transition into new energy vehicles while lifting the group into higher-value segments as China's auto industry shifts into a phase of intense premium competition.

"Competition in electrification is no longer about entry," Lu said. "It is about system capability, execution speed and the ability to scale globally."

Founded six years ago, Voyah has delivered more than 350,000 vehicles and built a full product lineup across SUVs, MPVs and sedans, positioning itself among the faster-growing State-backed premium EV brands in China.

Lu said overseas expansion has become a central pillar of Voyah's long-term strategy, not a secondary growth channel.

"We are no longer thinking only about domestic scale," he said. "The next stage of competition is global."

Voyah now operates in more than 40 countries and regions, with over 240 sales and service outlets and more than 40,000 overseas users.

Europe remains its most established overseas market. The brand first entered Norway in 2022 and has since expanded into Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and several Nordic countries.

Lu said Voyah's positioning in Europe combines "solid driving fundamentals with intelligent vehicle technologies developed in China," aiming to compete in a market long dominated by traditional luxury brands.

In 2025, the company entered the Middle East, launching in the UAE and Qatar with flagship models including the FREE SUV and the Dreamer MPV. The region, Lu said, is becoming an important testing ground for premium EV adoption outside China and Europe.

The company is now preparing to enter right-hand drive markets, a critical step for broader global scale. A right-hand drive version of the Dreamer is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year.

Behind its global push, Voyah is building what Lu described as "full-chain control" across research and development, manufacturing, supply chain, sales and after-sales service.

In an industry increasingly reliant on fragmented outsourcing, Voyah is moving toward tighter integration.

"We control the entire process from development to delivery," Lu said. "That gives us speed and consistency when expanding into new markets."

The company has developed five core technology pillars, including vehicle platform architecture, its power system, intelligent cockpit, driver assistance systems and broader EV ecosystem capabilities. It holds more than 6,100 patents in electrification, smart driving and safety.

Voyah operates two smart factories with a combined annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles, where a car can be produced every 40 seconds at peak efficiency. It has also built a fully domestically sourced production line covering core control systems, robotics and sensing equipment.

In March, Voyah listed on the Hong Kong bourse, becoming the first premium State-backed EV brand to go public in the city.

Lu said the IPO reflected both execution capability and investor confidence in the company's long-term strategy.

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn