CHICAGO, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lu Guanqiu, founder of Chinese privately owned Wanxiang Group, has become the first Chinese inducted into the U.S. Automotive Hall of Fame.

Lu is among a diverse collection of mobility pioneers from around the globe who are recognized as inductees of the 2022 Automotive Hall of Fame (AHF), announced the AHF on Thursday in Detroit, U.S. state of Michigan.

Lu is a Chinese entrepreneur and trailblazer who used his creativity and wits to evolve Wanxiang from a local bicycle repair shop in the 1960s to a global supplier. Wanxiang is the first Chinese company to sell automobile parts to American Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and now has operations in 22 U.S. states, AHF said in a news release.

Meanwhile, Lu spearheaded the drive for clean energy in China. He started several battery and electric vehicle initiatives in the late 1990s, acquired and revived A123 Systems and Fisker Automotive Holdings, Inc. in the United States. The latter has transformed into Karma Automotive. He died in October 2017.

Other 2022 Automotive Hall of Fame inductees include Ferruccio Lamborghini, an Italian entrepreneur who created the iconic Lamborghini line of luxury performance sports cars; Taiichi Ohno, a Japanese engineer and former Toyota executive who helped establish the fabled Toyota Production System (TPS); Lyn St. James, a pioneer in advancing women's participation in the automotive and racing worlds; and Alma and Victor Green, authors and publishers of The Green Book, a travel guide for Blacks traveling in America published from 1936-1966.

"This year's class of inductees continues to recognize the diversity of contributions to this industry," said Sarah Cook, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame. "From manufacturing to racing, road travel to the rarest of luxury performance vehicles, this group tells some of the most interesting and important stories of the industry."

The 2022 Automotive Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony will be held on July 21, 2022.

U.S. Automotive Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that honors and celebrates the automotive/mobility industry's leaders and innovators through awards and programs that challenge young and old alike to higher levels of personal achievement.

Founded in 1939, the Automotive Hall of Fame has honored 755 awardees from around the world who have impacted and influenced the automotive and mobility industries, including founder of the Ford Motor Company Henry Ford, German inventor and engineer Karl Benz, Honda Motor Co. founder Soichiro Honda, founder of Toyota Motor Corporation Kiichiro Toyoda, founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque Enzo Ferrari, and founder of the Porsche AG Ferdinand Porsche.