Shanghai – AIWAYS, the Shanghai-based personal mobility provider, has agreed to join rental car company Filippi Auto, operators of Hertz Corsica, in its mission to ‘electrify’ the island of Corsica. The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup will provide hundreds of U5 all-electric SUVs to Filippi Auto this summer.

The new partnership is part of a wider mission to reduce pollution and develop Corsica as a hub of e-mobility, which involves Filippi Auto making 70% of its rental fleet emission-free by 2022. Further details of the ‘Electrify Corsica’ project will be announced in June – including the exact number of U5 vehicles to join the Filippi Auto fleet, as well as plans to rapidly build the island’s EV charging infrastructure. 

Alexander Klose, Executive VP Overseas Operation at AIWAYS, commented: “This is the perfect way for AIWAYS to ‘arrive’ in Europe – on a mission to electrify and help preserve one of the region’s most beautiful island environments. It’s also a great opportunity for us to showcase the capabilities of the U5 to Corsica visitors from across Europe.”

Jean Noel Filippi, Management of Hertz Corsica, added: “We chose AIWAYS to be the first vehicle partner in the ‘Electrify Corsica’ project due to the quality and performance of the U5 all-electric SUV. We can’t wait to welcome tourists back to Corsica as travel restrictions ease, and what better way to enjoy our beautiful island than behind the wheel of such a capable zero-emission car.” 

Filippi Auto represents AIWAYS’ first ‘customer’ in Europe, as it opened the order books to corporate buyers at the beginning of May. The company expects to start welcoming orders from private customers in June.