Posts Tagged ‘vw china’
Maker hopes to head off rivals GM, Toyota with new plants.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.17, 2013
VW aims to maintain its lead in China with a mix of new products and more production capacity.
The automotive arms race in China is showing no signs of abating; if anything, the market’s leaders are stocking up more ammo.
General Motors, which this year expects to sell a record 3 million vehicles in China, has announced plans to raise its capacity in the booming market by 20%. Toyota also has disclosed plans to raise their presence in China – which is now the largest passenger car and commercial truck market in the world and is on its way to becoming the top luxury market in the world as well.
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Meanwhile, Volkswagen has marked the beginning of construction on a new assembly plant in Changsha in the south-central province of Hunan. The factory is being built as part of the maker’s Chinese joint venture Shanghai-Volkswagen (SVW).
“We are expanding our capacity in China to four million vehicles per year by 2018 in order to meet demand from our Chinese customers”, Jochem Heizmann, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said at the groundbreaking.
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Tags: auto news, car news, china car sales, gm china, gm news, joe szczesny, svw, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen china, volkswagen news, vw china, vw china factory, vw china plant, vw china production, vw news
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
2-door take on 3-row concept first seen in Detroit.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.18, 2013
The VW CrossBlue Coupe Concept will debut in Shanghai over the weekend.
We’re still a couple days away from the weekend media previews at the Shanghai Auto Show but with plenty of new product and concept vehicles scheduled to debut there it’s probably no surprise to see a number of them start to leak out. A day after we got an unauthorized look at the Mercedes GLA show car, we’ve now gotten a handful of renderings showing the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe Concept.
If the name strikes a chord that’s because the German maker unveiled its earlier CrossBlue Concept – a seven-seat crossover – in Detroit earlier this year.
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While we’ll have to wait for VW to release full details – such as whether the Coupe Concept maintains or drops the original CrossBlue Concept’s three-row, 7-seat layout – it appears they share a common platform that measures in at 4.89 meters long and 2.02 meters wide. The wheelbase is 2.98 meters.
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Tags: auto news, car news, concept cars, coupe crossovers, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, shanghai motor show, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen crossblue coupe concept, volkswagen news, vw china, vw concept, vw crossblue, vw crossblue coupe, vw news, vw shanghai, vw shanghai auto show
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Chinese consumers increasingly wary of quality problems.
by Joseph Szczesny on Mar.20, 2013
VW takes heat as consumer activists begin to speak up in China about quality problems.
Volkswagen AG says it is recalling more than 384,000 vehicles in China to correct a problem with faulty gearboxes that can cause vehicles to lose power.
The announcement follows a recent report by Chinese state television that claimed the German automaker was selling cars with substandard gearbox systems, causing unspecified problems for some drivers. It also comes as VW is locked in a duel with General Motors for leadership in the world’s largest car market.
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The recall could cost Europe’s largest carmaker more than $600 million, according to various industry estimates. While Volkswagen was unable to immediately comment on the costs, research firm LMC Automotive estimates replacements will cost between RMB 3,000, or $483, to RMB 10,000 per vehicle.
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Tags: auto news, car news, china autos china cars, china car recall, china car safety, china consumer activists, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen china, volkswagen news, vw china, vw china recall, vw news
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Chinese airline to start in-flight car sales.
by Joseph Szczesny on Mar.12, 2013
VW and GM remain locked in a battle for dominance in the booming Chinese market.
Surging global stock markets slipped back this week as China released surprisingly weak economic data – but one sector of the vast Asian nation’s economy remains strong, Chinese car sales surging 40% for the first two months of 2013 after an unexpectedly weak performance last year.
For some carmakers, Chinese demand appears to be surging as they bring on new products, while for others, it is taking new discounts to help bolster sales.
But industry analysts continue to worry about what may happen as government regulators come under increasing pressure from both the public and a new cadre of Communist Party leaders to tighten environmental regulations in the wake of record pollution levels in the capital Beijing and other parts of the country. As TheDetroitBureau.com recently reported, stricter automotive emission rules – possibly including a press for more battery cars – are being actively considered.
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The 40% year-to-date increase in overall Chinese car sales comes despite a drop in February as the Chinese celebrated the Lunar New Year, a week-long holiday during which little or no business is transacted across China.
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Tags: auto news, car news, china auto, china auto sales, china battery cars, china car, china car sales, china electric vehicles, china pollution, chinese auto sales, chinese car sales, gm china, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, toyota china, vw china
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But 2013 forecast gloomy as European market staggers.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Feb.22, 2013
Bigger profit, smaller paycheck for VW CEO Winterkorn.
What should have been an especially good bit of news for Volkswagen was tempered by the maker’s less-than-upbeat outlook for the European market this coming year.
The German maker, which was the world’s third-largest automotive manufacturer in 2012, saw a 40.9% surge in its 2012 net profit, with revenues jumping 20.9% for the year. Volkswagen AG said its operating profit increased by 2.1% for the year.
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The maker said it expects to “outperform the market as a whole in a challenging environment” during 2013, with a further increase in sales anticipated. But the statement by CEO Martin Winterkorn added a cautionary note that, “We are not completely immune to the intense competition and the impact this has on the business.”
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Tags: Martin Winterkorn, VW sales, auto news, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vw china, vw earnings, vw europe, vw forecast, vw net, vw net rises 40%, vw news, vw profit
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
No triskaidekaphobia for German maker.
by Joseph Szczesny on Feb.08, 2013
VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech has an almost monomaniacal drive to add more brands.
Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne may have put Alfa-Romeo out of the Volkswagen Group’s reach for now but there is a good reason to believe that VW is on the prowl for a 13th, and possibly even a 14th,brand to add to its large and varied stable of nameplates, according to industry observers.
While many manufacturers – notably General Motors and Ford – have been cutting back on their brand portfolios, Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech has been aggressively expanding the German maker’s marque count. VW last year finally completed the takeover of Porsche – brand number 12 — and Piech has continued to say he wants Alfa, despite Marchionne’s howls of protest.
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Piech has indicated Europe’s largest automaker plans to add at least one brand to the current lineup as part of a strategy to claim the global auto industry’s sales crown by 2018.
Piech said in an interview with German monthly magazine ADAC Motorwelt that his children 10 years from now will drive one of the automaker’s “at least 13 brands.” VW representatives declined to comment.
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Tags: Sergio Marchionne, alfa-romeo, auto news, car news, ferdinand piech, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau, vw alfa, vw brands, vw china, vw news, vw porsche, vw proton
Posted in Automobiles | 4 Comments »
Maker still has a month to go before closing books on 2012.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.06, 2012
A Cadillac XLR at its Beijing debut earlier this year.
The once-explosive pace of growth in the Chinese car market has slowed down sharply this year – which means that General Motors had to wait until November to set a new sales record.
With a month left to run up the final total, GM and its various affiliates have sold 2,593,642 cars, trucks and crossovers in China, compared with 2,547,171 for all of last year. The good news for GM – and its competitors – was that November saw a renewed surge in a market that has, over the past decade, seen sales nearly double in some years.
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GM isn’t alone, however, Ford was one of a number of other makers that also reported hitting all-time sales records by the end of November and still more are expected to get there by the time December’s numbers are tallied. On the other hand, key Japanese makers could miss their once-lofty sales goals as a result of ongoing political turmoil.
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Tags: auto news, car news, china car, chinese car sales, gm china, gm china record sales, gm china sales, gm news, nissan china, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, toyota china, vw china
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One dark spot for an otherwise shining brand.
by Joseph Szczesny on Jun.15, 2012
VW sales continue to soar despite problems in the home European market.
The Volkswagen Group continues to post record sales despite the European downturn and unexpectedly poor demand in China.
VW’s group sales have increased 8.4% to 3.65 million units for the first five months of 2012 despite the nervous state of the global economy. In May, Europe’s largest automaker delivered 763,800 or 7.8% more vehicles worldwide than it did in 2011, the company reports.
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“Our worldwide deliveries have risen further, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. Despite this generally positive trend we continue to focus very closely on the growing uncertainties in the Eurozone,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler cautioned.
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Tags: VW sales, audi sales, auto news, car news, joe szczesny, seat sales, skoda sales, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen news, volkswagen sales, vw china, vw news, vw sales may 2012
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“A very good start,” as profits exceed optimistic forecasts.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.26, 2012
VW plans to introduce as many as 40 new models across its various brands this year. The Golf R is shown here.
The European economy may be teetering towards disaster but it was full steam ahead for Volkswagen AG, the German automaker handily exceeding analysts’ already optimistic expectations with a first-quarter profit of $4.2 billion.
The 87% jump reflected VW’s steady sales gains around the world, especially in the United States, along with China, Russia and other emerging markets.
“With the first quarter we have had a clearly good start to the year,” said Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn in a prepared statement.
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In Euros, VW’s net profit rose to 3.17 billion, with pretax profits up 93%, to 4.3 billion Euros. Revenues jumped to 47.3 billion Euros, a 26% gain driven by an 11% increase in worldwide vehicle deliveries. The maker sold 2.21 million vehicles during the quarter, which could put it in a position – if it continues that trend – to take on U.S. rival General Motors for the global automotive sales lead this year.
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Tags: Martin Winterkorn, VW sales, audi sales, auto news, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, porsche-vw merger, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen earns, vw china, vw earnings, vw news, vw profit, vw q1 2012
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Maker’s announcement will spread impact of auto manufacturing to Western China.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.23, 2012
VW already has an established manufacturing base in first-tier Pacific Coast Chinese cities, such as Shanghai.
It’s a huge week for the Chinese auto industry with most of the headlines emerging from the biennial Beijing Motor Show – but at least one major story is coming from halfway around the world.
During a meeting at corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, Volkswagen AG officials revealed to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel plans for a major expansion in the automaker’s long-running partnership with China First Automobile Group. That includes a new plant in Urumqi, capital of the western province of Xinjiang.
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That in itself is significant, supporting Chinese government efforts to spread the country’s economic boom and — in turn — create new markets for automakers like VW.
“A 30-year success story unites Volkswagen and China,” Volkswagen AG CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn told the visiting officials. “As a pioneer of the Chinese automotive industry we gave important momentum to China’s industrial development and to German-Sino economic relations. Together with our partners we will now carry this pioneering spirit into Western China as well.”
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Tags: VW Wen Jiabao, auto news, car news, china auto sales, china car boom, china car sales, china economy, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen plant, vw china, vw faw, vw news, vw plant, vw urumqi
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