AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)12/06 Report--

According to data from the China Automobile Association, from January to October 2022, the domestic production and sales data of new energy vehicles were 5.485 million and 5.28 million respectively, an increase of 111.4% and 105.4% respectively over the same period last year. Both production and sales data reached record highs, and the market penetration rate climbed to 24% from 13.4% last year. At the same time, in terms of exports, 499000 new energy vehicles were exported from January to October 2022, an increase of 96.7 percent over the same period last year, showing a trend of rapid growth. The CCTV network previously predicted that domestic car exports will reach about 3 million in 2022, which may become the world's second largest car exporter, of which new energy vehicles account for an important share.

At present, the Chinese market is becoming an export base for new energy products of multinational car companies in transition. After Tesla and BMW, Volkswagen also plans to export electric cars from China to Europe. Volkswagen said in a statement that Volkswagen Group may follow the example of automakers such as Tesla and BMW Group in exporting electric cars from China to Europe, and Volkswagen's sports Spanish brand Cupra will produce its first all-electric SUV Tavascan in a joint venture factory in Anhui and plans to go public in Europe in 2024. According to the report, China exports electric cars to Europe because of limited production capacity and costs in the German market, while Anhui factories have suitable production capacity and technology.

So far, Volkswagen China has not commented on the news that Volkswagen Anhui will produce Siat products and export them to Europe.

Long before this, the plan for a new car made in Anhui by Volkswagen was exposed online. The two models are code named SE316/8 and VW316/8, corresponding to CupraTavascan and Volkswagen ID.5, respectively. The CupraTavascan was first unveiled as a concept car in 2019, which is based on Volkswagen's MEB platform. According to the plan, the Tavascan will be officially put into production in the second half of 2023. Feng Sihan, a former Volkswagen China CEO, had previously said that the new Volkswagen Anhui model would be aimed at young users and that the price range would cover prices comparable to those of the ID.3, which was seen as another way for Siat to return to the Chinese market.

Founded in 1950, Seat is the largest car company in Spain and is currently a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen Group. In March 2012, Seattle-branded cars officially entered the Chinese market and were imported from Europe for sale in China. Data show that Siat sold 2200 and 1100 vehicles in China from 2012 to 2013, respectively, and eventually withdrew from the Chinese market in early 2014 due to poor sales performance.

In July 2018, Volkswagen China, Jianghuai Automobile and Seattle signed a memorandum of understanding, hoping that the Seattle brand can enter the joint venture system by taking a stake in JAC Volkswagen. In November of the same year, the three parties signed a memorandum of understanding in Spain to jointly develop an electric vehicle platform for the global market for the production of Jianghuai Volkswagen models. In addition, Jianghuai Volkswagen needs to introduce the Siat brand by 2021 and jointly carry out electric development.

In May 2019, the three parties formally signed an agreement, which further confirmed the strategic layout of Seattle's entry into the Chinese market, and made it clear that the Seattle brand would be introduced to China in the next two to three years. However, as Volkswagen increased its capital to Jianghuai Group, Jianghuai Volkswagen became Volkswagen Anhui, which is 75% owned by Volkswagen, and Siat's domestic project was shelved. Until the launch of the Volkswagen Anhui plant, the plant will start production in the second half of 2023 with a capacity of up to 350000 vehicles. While Tavascan and Volkswagen ID. The series will be built on the Volkswagen MEB platform.

In fact, before Volkswagen, car companies, including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Honda General Motors, all adopted the "make in China, sell all over the world" model. As the transformation of new energy vehicles is accelerated and the market continues to be hot, this model is also adopted by more car companies. BMW has decided to stop producing MINI electric models at its plant in Oxford, UK, and is expected to transfer the production line to China by the end of 2023, to be replaced by Beamer, a joint venture between BMW Group and Great Wall. Stefanie Wurst, head of BMW's MINI brand, said the Oxford plant in the UK was not ready for electric car production and that Beamlight, a partnership with Great Wall, would be responsible for the future production of electric MINI and electric MINIAceman models at the Zhangjiagang plant in Jiangsu province.

According to the relevant report, 800000 cars made in China may be sold in the European market by 2025, most of them pure electric vehicles. For Volkswagen, the export of electric cars from China to Europe may bring greater convenience. At present, Volkswagen Group is accelerating its expansion of the Chinese market. In mid-October, Volkswagen spent about 2.4 billion euros (about 16.8 billion yuan) to form a joint venture subsidiary with Horizon in China. The investment is the largest single investment in the 40 years since Volkswagen entered China. According to the plan, the deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023. Volkswagen hopes to speed up the development of advanced driving assistance systems and autopilot systems for the Chinese market.

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