VW will be able to build 1M EVs a year in China

 Volkswagen, boosted by a new factory in Anhui province, will be able to build 1 million electric vehicles a year in China starting in 2023, Ralf Brandstaetter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, told Nikkei on Wednesday.

The plant, a joint venture with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile, first announced in 2019, is set to produce 300,000 EVs a year, with production starting next year.

Combined with output from two additional joint venture plants already online — one with FAW Group, and one with SAIC Motor — total capacity should hit the 1 million mark, Brandstaetter said.

Volkswagen was not immediately available for comment.

The automaker sold 70,625 ID electric vehicles in China last year, missing a goal of selling 80,000 to 100,000, with production also affected by regional COVID-19 outbreaks in addition to chip-related issues.

Volkswagen’s China chief, Stephan Wollenstein, told a briefing in Beijing in January that the automaker would like to double sales of the ID battery EVs this year but cautioned that low semiconductor supplies could hamper the efforts.

Brandstaetter is due to take over Volkswagen’s China business on Aug. 1.