The Volkswagen Group in China

Volkswagen is one of China´s first and most successful foreign partners. In October 1984, the first joint venture of Volkswagen in China – Shanghai Volkswagen – was established. In November 1990, Volkswagen´s second car producing joint venture in China – FAW-Volkswagen – was founded in Changchun. Since then the German car manufacturer together with it´s partners has been the leader of the Chinese passenger car market. Today Volkswagen offers a wide product range including luxury vehicles like the Phaeton and the Touareg. Last year the group sold about 650.000 cars in China. The success that Volkswagen achieved in China during the past 20 years is a fruit of economy and technology cooperation between China and Germany.

In its role as a corporate citizen the company fulfils its social responsibilities in China in many ways. As the automobile partner for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the company supports the games both financially and with vehicles and other forms of service provision. Volkswagen’s commitment to these games, whose motto are ”Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and the People’s Olympics” underlines the company’s long-term endeavours in the fields of environmental protection, cultural and social development and scientific and technological progress.

Efforts in the fields of alternative and sustainable fuels such as its fuel cell research with the Tongji University in Shanghai as well as Volkswagen´s world wide commitments to sustainable technologies stress this approach.

                  The Volkswagen Group worldwide

The Volkswagen Group, based in Wolfsburg, is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world, and Europe's largest car manufacturer. The Group employs more than 340,000 people worldwide. The eight brands belonging to the Group sold a total of 5.079 million vehicles in over 150 countries in 2004 (2003: 5.015 million). This corresponds to an 11.5 per cent share of the world car market.

The revenue generated by the Group rose to EUR 88.9 billion in 2004 (2003: EUR 84.8 billion). Net profit totalled EUR 0.716 billion (2003: EUR 1.003 billion). The company operates 47 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries in Europe and in a further seven countries in America, Asia and Africa. The workforce produces over 21,500 vehicles per working day all around the globe, as well as providing vehicle-related services. 

The Volkswagen Group comprises the Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands as well as the IT service provider gedas, Volkswagen Financial Services and Europcar.