Photo: SEAT
Slowly but surely German auto group Volkswagen is dragging all of its brands into China, a market that in the past few years has come to be seen as crucial to the company's future.
Already involved in a number of production and research projects in China, Volkswagen announced on Monday the setup of a new research and development center in the Asian country that will be tasked with creating electric vehicles.
The center is a project run by JAC Volkswagen, the joint venture between the Germans and local carmaker JAC. For the electric vehicles project, the two were joined by SEAT, which became a shareholder in the joint venture following the signing of a memorandum on Monday.
The model to be developed by the three is to be launched on the Chinese market sometime in 2020 or 2021, the same year the Spanish brand will begin selling locally following several years of absence.
“Electrified cars are the future of mobility, and China is at the forefront of developing sustainable e-mobility solutions,” said in a statement Jochem Heizmann, CEO of Volkswagen Group China.
“We are proud to have the opportunity to further collaborate with a trusted partner in developing E-mobility technologies. It represents another major step in Volkswagen Group’s overall China strategy.”
Aside from the development of the future electric vehicle, SEAT will be aiding Volkswagen and JAC in the research for connectivity and autonomous driving technologies.
The move is part of Volkswagen’s Roadmap E plan, one that calls for the group to become the number one electric vehicle producer in the world.
By the end of 2022, no less than 16 VW facilities the group operates around the world will be manufacturing EVs.
To ensure a constant flow of batteries for the new cars, Volkswagen has signed an undisclosed number of contracts, valued at 20 billion euro ($25 billion), with battery manufacturers from both Europe and China. North America will soon follow.
The center is a project run by JAC Volkswagen, the joint venture between the Germans and local carmaker JAC. For the electric vehicles project, the two were joined by SEAT, which became a shareholder in the joint venture following the signing of a memorandum on Monday.
The model to be developed by the three is to be launched on the Chinese market sometime in 2020 or 2021, the same year the Spanish brand will begin selling locally following several years of absence.
“Electrified cars are the future of mobility, and China is at the forefront of developing sustainable e-mobility solutions,” said in a statement Jochem Heizmann, CEO of Volkswagen Group China.
“We are proud to have the opportunity to further collaborate with a trusted partner in developing E-mobility technologies. It represents another major step in Volkswagen Group’s overall China strategy.”
Aside from the development of the future electric vehicle, SEAT will be aiding Volkswagen and JAC in the research for connectivity and autonomous driving technologies.
The move is part of Volkswagen’s Roadmap E plan, one that calls for the group to become the number one electric vehicle producer in the world.
By the end of 2022, no less than 16 VW facilities the group operates around the world will be manufacturing EVs.
To ensure a constant flow of batteries for the new cars, Volkswagen has signed an undisclosed number of contracts, valued at 20 billion euro ($25 billion), with battery manufacturers from both Europe and China. North America will soon follow.
Google News