The development of intelligent connected and new energy vehicles will become a major business growth driver for the Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, a major automaker based in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, according to a senior company executive.

In the years ahead, the global auto industry will be focused on "intelligent driving and energy saving", said Feng Xingya, president of GAC Group.

In a major effort to boost those lines of business, the GAC Group reached a cooperative agreement with the internet technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd early in September.