WHEN people think of electronic vehicles, we want them to think of Swindon - that is the message from the council as they look to position the town at the centre of an emerging industry.

Those efforts continued in recent weeks with the visit by a Chinese delegation focusing on the development of 'new energy vehicles'.

Among the 23 member delegation were leaders from the worlds of business and technology who have come together as part of China EV100, a forum promoting 'multi-field fusion and collaborative innovation'.

During the visit, the group was met by the council's growth and regeneration team. Together they toured Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells and heard about their pioneering work in fuel cell technology.

They also enjoyed a visit to Williams Racing in nearby Wantage to look at their work with Formula E racing cars.

John Mortimer, chairman of the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "Both China and the UK have committed to reducing the use of fossil fuel powered vehicles and aim to be world leaders in this field.

"Swindon and Wiltshire is well placed to respond to this opportunity, with its strong industrial heritage, automotive capability and innovative industry leaders. Swindon and Wiltshire warmly welcomes our new relationship with China EV100 and we look forward to working together to lead the new energy vehicle industry of the future.”

The delegation's trip to the UK was arranged by the Department for International Trade and is seen as the first step in a programme to build strong trade and investment links moving forward.

Oliver Donachie, the cabinet member for the economy and skills, said: “China is a lucrative source of investment to the UK and this visit presented Swindon with a valuable opportunity to build links, which could attract significant future investment.

"Swindon has a proud and strong heritage in engineering, especially in the motor industry, and this is something that the EV100 delegation will have identified with.

"During the visit we were consistently able to demonstrate why Swindon is recognised as the UK’s 7th most investable town/city and ranked 5th in the 2017 UK Cities and Financial Powerhouse league table.

"I am looking forward to many more such visits and stronger business ties.”

The mayor of Swindon, Maureen Penny, also hosted the delegation at Steam for a formal dinner where guests included senior figures from the Chinese embassy in London.