Volkswagen launches trial production of electric vehicles in China
November 8, 2019Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diss shared information on the completion of the construction of an electric vehicle collection plant in Shanghai.
“This step is consistent with Volkswagen’s e-mobility initiative,” Herbert Diss told reporters during a tour of the facility.
The announcement was made two weeks after electric vehicle manufacturer in the US Tesla also announced that it had started trial production at its factory in China, where it plans to produce 500,000 cars a year after construction is completed.
Both reputable car manufacturers and startups are actively attacking China, the world’s largest market for new electric vehicles. NEV sales in China jumped 61.7 percent to 1.3 million cars in 2018.
According to Reuters last month, Volkswagen is trying to jump over its colleagues, preparing two Chinese electric car factories for next year.
The German automaker said Volkswagen ID series cars will be the first to step off the production line in Shanghai. According to partners in the joint venture, the plant will also produce other models, such as the premium brand VW Audi.
Diss also said Volkswagen plans to release 22 million electric vehicles by 2028, half of them in China. In July, Diss said that by 2035, half of Volkswagen’s annual sales in China would be NEV.
