From signing the cooperation agreement to the first car rolling off the line took 24 months, the two automakers said. The jointly developed model has just entered production at a factory in Hefei in eastern China—a pace that the companies say breaks the record for Sino-German automotive cooperation projects.

The vehicle is a full-size, all-electric SUV with a range of more than 700 km. It comes standard with a full-scenario intelligent driving assistance system. Its 31 safety test standards exceed China’s national requirements, a benchmark that the German partner says continues its emphasis on quality and safety. The SUV is scheduled to go on sale in the Chinese market in the first half of this year.

Traditionally, a new model takes about 48 months or longer to develop. The compressed 24-month timeline reflects a shift in development: a China-based research and development team participated in decision-making from the project’s start, rather than waiting for technology to be introduced from headquarters.