BEIJING - BAIC BJEV, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, said the company has been granted an electric vehicle product safety certificate by German accreditation provider DAkkS.

Zheng Gang, general manager of BAIC BJEV, said the certificate signaled that the company is now allowed to enter the European Union's electric vehicle market.

Beijing Electric Vehicles Company (BJEV), the electric car-making arm of Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC), is one of the leading new-energy carmakers in China.

In 2017, Chinese consumers purchased about 777,000 new-energy vehicles, up 53 percent over 2016, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

A total of 468,000 electric cars were sold in China in 2017, while BAIC BJEV sold 103,200 electric cars, an annual increase of 98 percent.