JAC Volkswagen Automotive Company is expanding its battery electric vehicle development in China with a new R&D centre for its new energy passenger vehicle project. The R&D centre will focus on developing electrification, connectivity and autonomous driving technologies, specifically tailored to the Chinese market.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen Group China, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) and SEAT signed a strategic agreement to combine their technology and product strengths to develop a battery electric vehicle platform for production at JAC Volkswagen, which will also introduce the SEAT brand by 2021, and jointly electrify SEAT vehicles.
E-mobility along with digitalisation, connectivity and autonomous driving are the future of the mobility industry, and China has established itself as a major driver of this transformation. The construction of the R&D centre fulfils the agreements signed this year as well as drives the development of JAC Volkswagen in China’s new energy vehicle industry.
Li Ming, president, JAC Volkswagen, said: “Electrification and making cars smart are the key directions for the transformation that is happening in the automotive industry. With the strong support of the shareholders and all the sectors, the company is seizing the opportunity to pursue innovation-driven development in its new energy vehicle offensive, and move towards the future of sustainable mobility.”
Dr. Christian Vollmer, vice president for production and logistics, SEAT, and member of the supervisory board of JAC Volkswagen, said: “China is the world’s leading market for the electric vehicle and SEAT’s will is to contribute, together with our partners, to make mobility increasingly more sustainable. The agreement with Volkswagen Group China and JAC enables us to move forward with the strategic development to introduce the SEAT brand into China and take a further step towards the company’s globalisation strategy.”
The Volkswagen Group China and its joint ventures in the e-mobility field will see the launch of 30 new energy vehicle models in the next two years, half of which will be produced in China. The Group aims to deliver around 400,000 new energy vehicles in China in 2020, and is preparing to deliver around 1.5 million in 2025.
