Responding to rising demand for long-range electric cars in Belgium, Chinese e-car manufacturer Aiways and Cardoen, its exclusive sales and service partner in the country, have jointly exhibited Aiways's U5 model at Cardoen's showroom in Wilrijk, near Antwerp, since January 2021.

The U5 is an all-electric battery-powered compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), which the Shanghai-based company brought to the European market in 2020.

"We have chosen Aiways because we are focused on private consumers who have to pay for the car themselves," Ivo Willems, commercial director at Cardoen Autosupermarkt, told Xinhua. "Aiways offers top quality at a low price. These vehicles have a very bright future in this country."

This latest deal with Aiways is a confidence boost for Cardoen as well, which is already the largest online car sales company in Belgium.

From 2023, the tax deductibility of petrol and diesel cars used for business purposes will gradually be reduced in Belgium. By 2028, the deductibility rates will drop to zero percent.

From 2026, only costs related to zero-emission company cars -- which include new electric vehicles -- would be 100 percent tax deductible. This rate would be gradually decreased to below 70 percent by 2031. Freight vehicles are not subject to the measures, as only cars are being regulated.

Accordingly, the market is bound to grow bigger, commented Nai Tongtao, chief marketing representative at Cardoen Autosupermarkt.

Since its founding in 2017, Aiways has prioritized compliance with European standards, which is why it could become the first Chinese car maker to break into the European e-car market.

To date, Aiways has exported over a thousand vehicles to the European Union and the Middle East. The U5 model is already on sale in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel and Belgium, and soon it will also be launched in Switzerland, Denmark and Norway.