Chinese WKW scraps €1.1bn plan to make EVs in Germany

Dreams of 1.1 billion euros to flow from China into Saxony have been shattered. Chinese WKW scrapped its plan to produce electric cars in Germany as it finds the plot on offer too small for its purpose.

The former East German state has been dubbed Saxony Valley as it managed to attract hi-tech companies as well as carmakers such as BMW to make their EVs there. Probably Beijing WKW Automotive had been enthralled by that standing too, when it said it wanted to build electric cars there.

However, the Chinese carmaker now deems the old airfield at Rothenburg close to Görlitz too small for its plant. The site was to host a factory employing a 1,000 people making high-end EVs for the European and Chinese market (we reported).

Negotiations over the past months included said property measuring 250 hectares. An array of solar panels occupy stretches of it but the state’s authorities say they had included more land to replace it in their offer, in case WKW wanted to expand.

Yet, the carmaker never got back to Saxony after the last discussion that took place last month. A requirement to register its subsidiary Delon Automotive GmbH to handle the deal has not been fulfilled either. Instead Beijing WKW Automotive sent a letter in which it declared its intention to buy for null.

WKW gave no further comment. The Landratsamt Görlitz who owns the property is now looking to attract other investors.

electrive.net (in German)