JAC and VW about to launch first NEVs for China

Before the first quarter’s end, the joint venture of Volkswagen and JAC will present its first three models, according to Gasgoo. All of them shall run electric-powered, the first is said to be a SUV that could be based on an existing production platform of JAC.

While China will see these models debuting most probably in March, it’s possible that the JV will sell them abroad in future.

JAC’s roadmap includes an annual sales target of 1m units by 2020 – among them 300,000 NEVs (EVs and PHEVs). And together with Chinese search engine giant Baidu, JAC intends to kick-off serial production of autonomous cars by 2019. It’s likely that they go for new energy vehicles, maybe even for fully electrified cars, as reported. Meanwhile, VW plans to annually sell 400,000 EVs in China by 2020 and up to 1.5m units by 2025.

Volkswagen is the second German carmaker after Daimler that took advantage of China tightening ties to Germany. In June 2017, VW executives signed the agreement sealing the deal with JAC for a new joint venture to build electric cars in the People’s Republic in front of Chancellor Merkel and Premier Li Keqiang in Berlin. In November, both VW and JAC agreed to deepen their cooperation once more to include the design, technology, product quality and development of multi-function vehicles.

For Volkswagen it is the third joint venture as it already serves its largest market together with FAW and SAIC and thus required the government in Beijing to make an exception. Usually China permits no more than two JVs.
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