"The Chinese market is developing very fast, but we are well prepared. We are confident that we will leverage our strengths and continue to maintain our strong position in times of change. On April 24, at the Volkswagen Group Media Night on the eve of the Beijing Motor Show, Blume, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group, said.
At the media night, Blume also made it clear that the Volkswagen Group has set a clear "2030 goal" in China, that is, to maintain its position as the number one international car company in China and continue to rank among the top three in the Chinese auto market. To this end, the Volkswagen Group will continue to deepen its investment in the Chinese market and accelerate the transition to new energy.
In the past many years, with the joint efforts of Volkswagen in the north and south, the Volkswagen Group has maintained the first position in the Chinese market in terms of sales. However, with the rapid advancement of the new energy transformation in the Chinese market and the rise of independent brands, the position of foreign-funded enterprises represented by the Volkswagen Group has been challenged. According to official data, in 2023, the Volkswagen Group's brands delivered a total of 3.236 million new vehicles in the Chinese market, a year-on-year increase of 1.6%, while BYD's annual sales were 3.02 million units. This represents a year-on-year increase of 61.9%.
In order to achieve this goal, Volkswagen will start a more aggressive product offensive in the Chinese market. "In order to adapt to the pace of the Chinese market, we have accelerated the launch of new products by 30%, and we will launch a new generation of models every three years, upgrade the electronic architecture every two years, and conduct OTA remote upgrades every month. This is the new rhythm of the Volkswagen Group in the Chinese market. Volkswagen Group China's Chairman and CEO Bratter said.
From 2026, the Volkswagen Group will launch at least eight BEVs developed specifically for the Chinese market, and by 2030, the Volkswagen Group will offer at least 30 BEVs in the Chinese market, according to Braid. At the same time, Volkswagen is also actively promoting the hybrid transformation of the fuel vehicle lineup, aiming to make fuel vehicles as smart as electric vehicles.
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The Gold Label Volkswagen is here
At the Volkswagen Night event, the Volkswagen Group also showcased a number of Volkswagen brands, including the Volkswagen brand ID. CODE and ID. Of the seven new models, including the UNYX, Audi Q6L e-tron, Porsche's new Taycan 4, Bentley's Batur, Lamborghini's Urus SE and Ducati's Diavel for Bentley, four were world premieres and two were Chinese premieres.
Among the many new cars, the ID. UNYX (Chinese: 和众) and Q6L e-tron are the most interesting. These two models are expected to be played by the Volkswagen brand and the Audi brand in China's new energy market. Among them, ID. UNYX is a new category of smart pure electric vehicles for the Volkswagen brand. UX, the company's first model, will feature the gold Volkswagen logo for the first time. This is also a model of Volkswagen Anhui in China.
The ID. UNYX is positioned as an A-segment electric coupe SUV with a length, width and height of 4,663/1,860/1,610 mm and a wheelbase of 2,766 mm. Judging from the information so far, this one will be offered in two models, including a single-motor rear-wheel drive version and a dual-motor four-wheel drive version. The single-motor version has a drive motor rated at 70 kW and a peak output of 170 kW. The dual-motor version is rated at 20 kW for the front motor and 70 kW for the rear motor, while the front motor has a peak power of 80 kW and a rear motor of 170 kW.
It is understood that ID. UNYX will be launched in China within the year. As for whether the market can be opened smoothly, it depends on the ID. More configuration information and final pricing will be announced at a later date. According to the plan, by 2027, ID. UX will launch five all-electric models, including SUVs and sedans.
The Q6L e-tron is Audi's first product based on the PPE luxury electric platform. It features the new E3 1.2 electronic architecture, which includes an 800-volt electrical architecture, a powerful electric motor, and advanced battery and charge management systems. Compared with the new energy models currently on sale by Audi, the Q6L e-tron is also more localized than previous global models, such as the extended wheelbase to accommodate a larger battery pack, which will bring longer range performance than overseas models.
It is understood that the Q6L e-tron will be officially localized and mass-produced at the Audi FAW in Changchun at the end of this year. With the launch of the Q6L e-tron, Audi will embark on the largest product offensive in history. According to the plan, Audi will have 20 models including the Q6L e-tron and A6 e-tron by 2025, and by 2027, Audi will significantly expand its electric product lineup, aiming to include pure electric products in all major market segments.
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R&D speed up by 30% and cost reduction by 40%
In addition to accelerating the launch of its products, the Volkswagen Group will continue to make additional strategic investments in China to enhance its local production and R&D capabilities. In January this year, Volkswagen invested 1 billion euros to establish Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (VCTC) in Hefei, which was officially put into operation. At the beginning of April, the Volkswagen Group also announced that it would invest 2.5 billion euros in China to expand its production and innovation center in Hefei. By fully integrating VCTC into China's local ecosystem, the Volkswagen Group aims to shorten the new product development cycle by 30 percent.
At the media night, He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng Motors, took the stage to interact with Blume. Just half a month ago, the two sides also announced a further expansion of cooperation, which will jointly develop an electronic and electrical architecture based on regional control and quasi-central computing - CEA. "Volkswagen Group and Xpeng have a lot to share, Volkswagen and Xpeng are both technology-driven companies, and we share the same vision, and we believe that connected cars will become mainstream in the future. Berry said.
According to reports, Volkswagen's pure electric models will still be dominated by the ID. family, and in the future, Volkswagen Anhui will develop and manufacture models, including models in cooperation with Xpeng, will be included in the ID. UX category. The "big and small" model will officially enter the market in 2026. In addition to Xpeng, the new technologies under the cooperation of Volkswagen Group in the production of standard battery cells with Gotion Hi-Tech, the development of autonomous driving in cooperation with Horizon Robotics, the development of in-vehicle infotainment systems by Thundertech, and the optimization of user experience by Shanghai Muchuan Industrial Design will also be applied to Volkswagen Group's products in the near future to further improve the competitiveness of its products.
At the same time, the Volkswagen Group also wants to continue to reduce vehicle costs through local production planning. VCTC CEO Borui Wu mentioned that he hopes to reduce costs to about 40%. Among them, the MEB platform can reduce costs by 20%, and the company will optimize costs by partnering with local companies such as FAW and SAIC to respond more quickly to market developments. The Volkswagen Group's goal is to achieve cost parity with Chinese automakers in the entry-level compact car segment by 2026.
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