The first "HWMT1+" racing car manufactured in Yuhuan rolls off the production line on Nov 20. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The first "HWMT1+" racing car manufactured in Yuhuan, a county-level city in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, rolled off the production line on Nov 20 and is set to compete in the 2025 Dakar Rally, one of the world's most competitive races.

"This will be the first domestically produced T1+ racing car to compete in the Dakar Rally. Its performance will be a testament to our car's capabilities," said Han Wei, a renowned professional racer from Yuhuan and head of the Hanwei Motorsport project. The T1+ car is used in the new T1+ category of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.

This milestone represents a significant achievement for Yuhuan, which is known as the "Car City". Yuhuan has long boasted a prosperous automotive industry, gaining fame from its racing champions, and expanding its influence through car races.

Yuhuan is home to over 4,000 automotive parts manufacturing enterprises, with their products occupying a domestic market share of over 25 percent. Last year, Yuhuan's automotive parts industry generated 51.092 billion yuan ($7.06 billion) in total output.

The HWMT1+ racing car features numerous high-tech components custom-designed for high-intensity off-road racing, including a self-developed constant temperature control system that significantly enhances its performance.

On the launch day, several racers test-drove the new car and placed multiple orders. "The overall performance is much better than previous cars. I'm looking forward to driving it in the Dakar Rally," said Tian Po, a racer from Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Han expressed his future plans to host more races in Yuhuan and develop new energy vehicles. "I believe racing cars produced in Yuhuan will continue to reach the world stage," he said confidently.