The Sino-German king of auto manufacturing in China Volkswagen has confirmed receiving regulatory approval to increase its annual production capacity in China to 3 million vehicles.
In Nanjing, the existing SAIC Volkswagen plant shall see its capacity rise to 300,000 units while another facility in Chengdu shall soon be able to churn out 350,000 vehicles per year. Elsewhere, the National Development and Reform Commission has approved two new plants in Foshan, Guangdong province and Yizheng in our very own Jiangsu province. Both of the two new plants shall have a planned production capacity of 300,000 units.
Volkswagen sold 548,400 vehicles in the first quarter of 2011, representing a 19.9% increase over the same period last year, surprisingly a little behind its major competitor General Motors, who sold 686,000 vehicles, a 10% increase over the same period in 2010.
“China has become the world’s biggest auto market, and has even greater potential in the future,” said Martin Winterkorn, board chairman of Volkswagen AG, adding “Volkswagen Group will continue making advanced and environmentally friendly models in China.”
For some, such remarks shall be called into question. The environmental action group Greenpeace has recently published a report in Europe entitled The Dark Side of Volkswagen in which it is claimed the German carmaker puts its most efficient engines in only 6% of its cars and inflates their price by more than their cost, deterring the wider adoption of green motoring. In the near future we can expect to see more publicity for the issue through social media and publicity stunts, such as the recently launched poster campaign in London that features a Darth Vader mask with the VW symbol and the words “Volkswagen. The Dark Side.”
