BEIJING, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China"s embattled Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK) said on Monday it aimed to start producing electric vehicles (EV) next year despite facing a struggle to secure external investment. Evergrande NEV, which is linked to troubled Chinese developer Evergrande Group (3333.HK), has held meeting with suppliers and local authorities in the coastal city of Tianjin where it is building a car plant. It said on its website that management would make sure it reached mass-production next year. Evergrande NEV warned in stock exchange filings last month that it was still looking for new investors and to make asset sales, and without either it may struggle to pay employee salaries and cover other expenses. It also scrapped plans to list shares in mainland China.