Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen lead! German automakers say they will "increase investment in China"

Every reporter: Miao Shiyu Every editor: Sun, Lei

The rapid development of China's new energy vehicle market has led to the emergence of information that many international car companies have increased their investment in China.

A few days ago, the reporter of "Daily Economic News" learned from the Volkswagen Group that the Volkswagen Group is working with its partner Xpeng Motors to jointly develop an electronic and electrical architecture based on regional control and quasi-central computing - CEA, to accelerate the pace of innovation "in China, for China".

In addition, CCTV reported that not long ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China. During this period, the reporter paid attention to the fact that companies including Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and other companies said that they would increase investment in China.

Yan Jinghui, a member of the expert committee of the China Automobile Dealers Association, said in an interview with reporters that in recent years, China's automobile market, especially the new energy vehicle market, has developed particularly rapidly. Driven by policy support and market demand, China's new energy vehicle market has achieved significant growth momentum. As one of the leaders in the global auto industry, German automakers can also show their confidence in China's auto market by increasing their investment in various parties.

"In the past two years of vigorous electrification, the top technology of German cars has not been particularly well used. On the one hand, the development of German electric vehicle market can drive the development of electric and hybrid models in Germany with the help of the development of China's electric vehicle market, and on the other hand, it will also promote the innovation and development of the automobile market in China and Germany. Chen Liran, director of forecast research at the China Automotive Strategic Development Research Center of Tianjin University, said in an interview with reporters.

"Continue to increase investment in China"

According to the Volkswagen Group, CEA will initially be applied to platforms developed specifically for the local market, covering four all-electric models of the Volkswagen brand based on the CMP platform and developed for the compact entry-level market.

It is reported that the CMP platform is jointly developed by Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (VCTC) and joint ventures SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen. Compared to the MEB platform, the CMP target is to reduce costs by 40%. By reducing system complexity and reducing the number of controllers in the vehicle, the CEA architecture will facilitate this goal.

The reporter learned that the CEA development was jointly developed by technical experts from Xpeng Motors, Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (VCTC) and CARIAD China, a software company under the Volkswagen Group. This is also another move by the Volkswagen Group to cooperate with Chinese companies in addition to the previous measures of "in China, for China".

Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, Volkswagen Group Managing Director for China, Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said: "In line with the 'In China, For China' strategy, we are continuously enhancing the Volkswagen Group's innovation capabilities in China. ”

Volkswagen Group told reporters that from 2026, the new architecture will be applied to locally produced Volkswagen brand electric vehicles.

In fact, not only the Volkswagen Group, but also a number of German car companies have recently announced that they will increase investment in the Chinese market, among which BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other well-known enterprises have expressed optimism and attention to the Chinese market.

A few days ago, BMW Group Chairman Zipzer once again emphasized his strong commitment to promote prosperity through deepening cooperation and continue to expand investment in China. Zipzer reaffirmed the BMW Group's strategy and commitment to the Chinese market: "China is the future and the BMW Group's largest market in the world. Our continued success in China is inseparable from the continuous growth and development of our footprint in China. ”

Kang Linsong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz Group, also said that in the future, Mercedes-Benz will continue to invest in China, strengthen cooperation with Chinese partners, vigorously promote electrification and digital transformation, and continue to contribute to Sino-German economic and trade cooperation.

"Promoting the development of the new energy industry chain"

According to the data, the Chinese market is still one of the main markets for German car sales. According to the sales data for 2023, the Volkswagen Group delivered 3.236 million vehicles in the mainland and Hong Kong markets, a year-on-year increase of 1.6%, the BMW Group sold about 824,900 BMW and MINI cars, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%, and Mercedes-Benz's data is more intuitive, with passenger car sales in the Chinese market accounting for more than 35% of its total global sales in 2023. Kang Linsong also said: "The Chinese market is very important to us. ”

Not only that, the reporter learned that at the upcoming 2024 Beijing International Automobile Exhibition, the above-mentioned car companies will also unveil new products. For example, the Volkswagen Group and its brands will present a range of products created for the Chinese market. It is understood that among the 44 exhibited cars of various brands displayed by the Volkswagen Group this time, there are 18 new energy vehicles, as well as 6 world premieres and 5 Chinese debuts.

Chen Liran said in an interview with reporters that whether it is the German car this time, optimistic about the Chinese auto market, or the European Union launched a countervailing investigation on China's electric vehicles, the opposition of some German car companies has a certain relationship with the German car is optimistic about the Chinese auto market, especially the development momentum of China's new energy vehicle market.

According to the automobile production and sales data for the first quarter of 2024 released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in March, automobile production and sales reached 2.687 million units and 2.694 million units, respectively, an increase of 4% and 9.9% year-on-year. Vehicle production and sales from January to March totaled 6.606 million units and 6.72 million units, up 6.4% and 4.6% y/y, respectively. Among them, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 2.115 million units and 2.09 million units, up 28.2% and 31.8% y/y, respectively.

"From the previous signal of slowing down the 'electrification' process released by some global car companies, to the German car's voice to increase investment in China, the German car's statement may promote the development of new energy vehicles of multinational car companies. Yan Jinghui told reporters that at present, with the intelligent transformation of the global automobile industry, the new energy vehicle industry chain continues to improve, similar to the signal of the old German car companies to increase investment, for the Chinese automobile market or the global automobile market, there will be a certain leading and exemplary role, increase the development of transnational cooperation in the automobile industry.

In addition, Chen Liran also said in an interview with reporters that while multinational car companies focus on the Chinese auto market, domestic car companies should also pay more attention to new opportunities in overseas markets, and promote the global collaborative development of the electric vehicle industry in the form of exports and technical cooperation.

National Business Daily