Electric vehicles with smart functions are expected to pave a new road of development for China's auto industry, said experts.

"Both electrification and digitalization are rising as new pillars of the Chinese auto industry", said Zhang Yongwei, vice-president of China EV 100, a major think tank in the new energy vehicle sector.

Zhang made the remarks on Friday at the 16th China Automotive Forum organized by the Economic Observer newspaper.

China is already the world's largest market for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, with their total sales expected to reach 6.7 million units this year, up from 3.5 million units in 2021, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Zhang said China can explore a new path in terms of the smart vehicle sector by involving vehicles, roads as well as cities.

"I call it a 'China' solution, which is made possible by our unique strengths including the 5G network and the BeiDou navigation system, " said Zhang.

Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show that China has built the world's largest 5G network, with 1.97 million base stations and 475 million users by the end of July.

Wen Zhao, executive editor-in-chief of the Economic Observer, said the auto industry remains as one of the most flourishing industries in China in 2022.

Vehicles sales this year are expected to grow 2 percent year-on-year to 26.8 million units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

"Smart electric vehicles are generating boundless opportunities for hardworking and innovative carmakers, " said Wen.

So far, there are around 300 NEV models in the Chinese passenger vehicle segment, roughly one third of all available models in the segment, according to the China EV 100.

Of NEV buyers in China, 78 percent are private buyers, and 40 percent of NEV models feature Level 2 driving-assist functions.