Zhiji Motor, a high-end smart electric-vehicle company in China, has debuted two smart new-energy vehicle (NEV) models in Shanghai.

One model, an electric sedan, will be open for pre-order in April and delivered to customers in 2022, while the other model, an electric SUV, is expected to hit the market in 2022.

Zhiji was jointly launched by leading Chinese automaker SAIC Motor, Zhangjiang High-tech Park in Shanghai's Pudong New Area and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group in November last year, with an expected investment of CNY 10 billion (US$ 1.53 billion).

Recently, the company also announced that it would provide its customers with an autonomous-driving service in selective commercial centres in first-tier cities like Shanghai at the end of 2021, subject to regulatory approval and availability of high-precision maps.

In these commercial centres, a Zhiji car driver can have the car move to a parking spot by itself or have it move to a designated location via an app on the phone.

The service is expected to be available in more commercial centres in other Chinese cities in 2022, according to Zhiji.