VW to construct 300,000-unit plant in Changsha
Volkswagen Group has confirmed a report in a German newspaper that it plans to build a factory with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles in Changsha in south-central China's Hunan province.
The report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, published on Saturday, said the factory will be built with joint venture partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., adding that production is set to start as soon as 2016.
''VW confirms the report,'' a spokesman told Automotive News Europe, adding that the group would make an official announcement this week. The spokesman declined to discuss further details, such as which models would be produced at the plant.
In October, Bloomberg News reported that VW intended to invest 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in the factory.
Bloomberg cited the Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences as its source, although VW denied it at the time.
Last year, VW Group sold 2.8 million vehicles in China, its largest global market. The German automaker has 12 assembly plants and component factories in the country.
''VW confirms the report,'' a spokesman told Automotive News Europe, adding that the group would make an official announcement this week. The spokesman declined to discuss further details, such as which models would be produced at the plant.
In October, Bloomberg News reported that VW intended to invest 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in the factory.
Bloomberg cited the Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences as its source, although VW denied it at the time.
Last year, VW Group sold 2.8 million vehicles in China, its largest global market. The German automaker has 12 assembly plants and component factories in the country.
