TOPIC

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Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group is the largest carmaker in Europe, selling vehicles under the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen marques. It also sells Ducati motorcycles and commercial vehicles under the MAN and Scania marques. The VW Beetle was its first bestselling model, and the Golf, launched after it stopped production of the Beetle, has become the third best-selling car of all time.

Chairman / President

Hans Dieter Pötsch

CEO / Managing Director

Oliver Blume

CFO / Finance Director

Arno Antlitz

Industry

Automotive

Website

volkswagen.com

Headquarters address

Volkswagen AG, Berliner Ring 2, 38440 Wolfsburg, Germany

Stock Code

FWB:VOW3

Year founded

1937

Factory workers assemble cars at a Volkswagen plant in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province, last week. Photo: AFP

China trade

As Germany’s trade deficit with China nears new high, analysts warn of backlash

The widening gap, fuelled by a localisation push in China and fierce EV competition, is fuelling fears of political upheaval and rising protectionist sentiment in Berlin.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:00PM

China-EU relations

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

18 Dec 2025 - 9:30PMvideocam

European Union

Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape

18 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

European Union

EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban in victory for its carmakers

Europe pivots to bolstering its crisis-hit auto sector in a major green policy retreat.

17 Dec 2025 - 2:08PM

Fumes emerge from the exhaust pipe of a car with a combustible engine in Berlin. Photo: AFP

Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng, Li Auto given approval to test ‘hands-off’ L3 cars amid slowing market

Deregulation to legalise L3 technology represents a leap forward in commercialising autonomous driving systems in China.

16 Dec 2025 - 7:45PM

Automotive industry

Can Volkswagen regain its China market share with its US$3.5 billion bet?

Volkswagen, which once had 50 per cent of China’s vehicle market, has invested €3 billion in its largest R&D centre outside its home country in Hefei.

15 Dec 2025 - 4:31PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng steps up ‘go global’ drive with Malaysian assembly hub for Southeast Asia

The Guangzhou-based company said it would partner with Malaysia’s EP Manufacturing to locally assemble intelligent EVs.

15 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Workers conduct final checks on an Xpeng new energy car at the firm’s plant in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, on October 9, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV battery giants wade into shipbuilding to bolster Beijing’s dominance

CATL and Gotion add momentum to China’s efforts to build new-energy vessels amid an accelerated decarbonisation drive.

14 Dec 2025 - 9:00AM

China-EU relations

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

8 Dec 2025 - 8:58PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

EU launches 1st formal review of Chinese EV tariffs after VW Anhui’s submission

Bloc’s acceptance of a narrow review process from a manufacturer may give others hope that tariffs could be reduced or removed.

4 Dec 2025 - 6:51PMvideocam

Staff at a factory in Tianjin operated by FAW-Volkswagen, a joint venture between the Chinese and German carmakers. Volkswagen has been among the noisiest corporate objectors to the EU’s tariffs targeting Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: Xinhua

China manufacturing

Germany’s China playbook: if you can’t beat them, partner up

More than half of surveyed German firms plan deeper ties with local partners in China to match the rapid innovation cycles of domestic competitors, the German Chamber of Commerce has found.

2 Dec 2025 - 5:05PMvideocam

Robot arms are seen at work on a car production line at a factory of FAW-Volkswagen in eastern China’s Shandong province on March 12. Photo: AFP

SCMP Highlights

China’s private defence firms; Beijing sets yuan fix: SCMP daily highlights

From a boon for Chinese private defence firms to a Beijing start-up grabbing Elon Musk’s attention, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

26 Nov 2025 - 9:15PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen revs up designed-in-China approach to catch up in EV market

Carmaker says mainland operations can now design and validate new models without approvals from Germany, reducing development time and cost.

26 Nov 2025 - 9:54AM

China economy

Opinion | As China’s tech rises, companies must rethink their R&D strategy

Firms seeking to localise in China must see the country not just as a place to manufacture and sell, but as a co-creator and innovator.

21 Nov 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Employees work on a production line for an electric flying car at a factory of Xpeng’s subsidiary Aridge in Guangzhou on November 6. Photo: AFP

Semiconductors

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

15 Nov 2025 - 11:00AM

Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

SCMP Highlights

Xpeng touts driverless cars, Volkswagen eyes making chips in China: 7 EV reads

From German auto firms scrambling to plug chip shortage to Xpeng touting driverless cars, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

12 Nov 2025 - 3:57PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen bets on EV developed with Xpeng to regain ground in China

The ID Unyx 08 has received government approval to begin production and is expected to enter the market in 2026.

11 Nov 2025 - 3:00PM

China-EU relations

Nexperia chips have begun flowing to Europe again, auto suppliers say

Beijing has followed through on promises to ease export restrictions, but a final deal to decide the chip firm’s fate has yet to be agreed.

11 Nov 2025 - 9:53PMvideocam

A woman rides past Nexperia headquarters in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Beijing has granted exemptions to export restrictions on the Dutch chip firm’s products, allowing some chips to flow to Europe once more. Photo: AFP

Mainland China

China’s importers sign record US$83.5 billion in deals at trade expo

Deal value at the just-ended import fair rises 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, reflecting confidence in Chinese consumer spending.

10 Nov 2025 - 8:04PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla and global carmakers race against Chinese EV rivals at expo

At CIIE, global brands like Tesla and Volkswagen are under pressure to win back market share from local competitors.

9 Nov 2025 - 7:36PM

China trade

Nexperia saga sees wary German auto firms scramble to mitigate chip shortage

Volkswagen, Aumovio and ZF among companies eyeing either exemptions, alternate sources or temporary cuts as China weighs export relaxations.

6 Nov 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China Ralf Brandstatter (centre) is seen at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Wednesday. A Volkswagen source said it will “take appropriate measures in response to further developments” amid the Nexperia semiconductor crisis that has roiled the auto chip supply chain. Photo: AFP

Semiconductors

Volkswagen to make own chips in China for locally made autonomous vehicles

‘We are moving beyond localised production to mastering the core technologies that shape tomorrow’s mobility,’ VW China CEO says.

6 Nov 2025 - 2:54AM

Horizon Robotics founder Yu Kai (left), VW China CEO Ralf Brandstatter, VW chairman Oliver Blume and Peter Bosch, CEO of VW’s automotive software firm Cariad pose with a makeshift semiconductor model in Shanghai on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Xpeng touts driverless cars with Alibaba’s Amap to take on Tesla

Company promises three robotaxi models, a humanoid robot and flying cars leveraging a new vision-based AI model.

5 Nov 2025 - 7:24PM

Xi Jinping

Premier Li Qiang to highlight US-China pact at world’s largest trade fair CIIE

Li Qiang’s plan to visit booths of American companies aims to send strong signal that China is open for global business, sources say.

3 Nov 2025 - 4:59PM

Semiconductors

China considers export ban exemption for some Nexperia orders

Beijing’s initiative is meant to stabilise the supply of Nexperia chips in global supply chains, particularly those in the car industry.

1 Nov 2025 - 12:40PM

China denounces the Netherlands for seizing control of chipmaker Nexperia, which has led to turmoil in global supply chains. Photo: Shutterstock

Semiconductors

Chinese state-owned firms launch car-chip testing platform amid Nexperia row

The facility is expected to bolster the localisation process in high-end car chips, as the Nexperia dispute threatens global supply chains.

29 Oct 2025 - 8:58PM

The Shenzhen facility was set up with more than 80 sets of car-chip testing equipment. Photo: AFP

Semiconductors

Sino-Dutch dispute over chipmaker Nexperia puts car sector supply chain at risk

All eyes are on Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao’s meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels to defuse the row over Nexperia.

26 Oct 2025 - 11:00AM

Semiconductors

Nexperia China defies Dutch headquarters’ order to oust executive

The dispute escalates a geopolitical conflict that threatens to disrupt a global automotive chip supply chain.

24 Oct 2025 - 12:00PM

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Volkswagen

As Germany’s trade deficit with China nears new high, analysts warn of backlash

The widening gap, fuelled by a localisation push in China and fierce EV competition, is fuelling fears of political upheaval and rising protectionist sentiment in Berlin.

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape

EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban in victory for its carmakers

Europe pivots to bolstering its crisis-hit auto sector in a major green policy retreat.

Xpeng, Li Auto given approval to test ‘hands-off’ L3 cars amid slowing market

Deregulation to legalise L3 technology represents a leap forward in commercialising autonomous driving systems in China.

Can Volkswagen regain its China market share with its US$3.5 billion bet?

Volkswagen, which once had 50 per cent of China’s vehicle market, has invested €3 billion in its largest R&D centre outside its home country in Hefei.

Xpeng steps up ‘go global’ drive with Malaysian assembly hub for Southeast Asia

The Guangzhou-based company said it would partner with Malaysia’s EP Manufacturing to locally assemble intelligent EVs.

China’s EV battery giants wade into shipbuilding to bolster Beijing’s dominance

CATL and Gotion add momentum to China’s efforts to build new-energy vessels amid an accelerated decarbonisation drive.

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

EU launches 1st formal review of Chinese EV tariffs after VW Anhui’s submission

Bloc’s acceptance of a narrow review process from a manufacturer may give others hope that tariffs could be reduced or removed.

Germany’s China playbook: if you can’t beat them, partner up

More than half of surveyed German firms plan deeper ties with local partners in China to match the rapid innovation cycles of domestic competitors, the German Chamber of Commerce has found.

China’s private defence firms; Beijing sets yuan fix: SCMP daily highlights

From a boon for Chinese private defence firms to a Beijing start-up grabbing Elon Musk’s attention, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Volkswagen revs up designed-in-China approach to catch up in EV market

Carmaker says mainland operations can now design and validate new models without approvals from Germany, reducing development time and cost.

Opinion | As China’s tech rises, companies must rethink their R&D strategy

Firms seeking to localise in China must see the country not just as a place to manufacture and sell, but as a co-creator and innovator.

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

Xpeng touts driverless cars, Volkswagen eyes making chips in China: 7 EV reads

From German auto firms scrambling to plug chip shortage to Xpeng touting driverless cars, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

Volkswagen bets on EV developed with Xpeng to regain ground in China

The ID Unyx 08 has received government approval to begin production and is expected to enter the market in 2026.

Nexperia chips have begun flowing to Europe again, auto suppliers say

Beijing has followed through on promises to ease export restrictions, but a final deal to decide the chip firm’s fate has yet to be agreed.

China’s importers sign record US$83.5 billion in deals at trade expo

Deal value at the just-ended import fair rises 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, reflecting confidence in Chinese consumer spending.

Tesla and global carmakers race against Chinese EV rivals at expo

At CIIE, global brands like Tesla and Volkswagen are under pressure to win back market share from local competitors.

Nexperia saga sees wary German auto firms scramble to mitigate chip shortage

Volkswagen, Aumovio and ZF among companies eyeing either exemptions, alternate sources or temporary cuts as China weighs export relaxations.

Volkswagen to make own chips in China for locally made autonomous vehicles

‘We are moving beyond localised production to mastering the core technologies that shape tomorrow’s mobility,’ VW China CEO says.

China’s Xpeng touts driverless cars with Alibaba’s Amap to take on Tesla

Company promises three robotaxi models, a humanoid robot and flying cars leveraging a new vision-based AI model.

Premier Li Qiang to highlight US-China pact at world’s largest trade fair CIIE

Li Qiang’s plan to visit booths of American companies aims to send strong signal that China is open for global business, sources say.

China considers export ban exemption for some Nexperia orders

Beijing’s initiative is meant to stabilise the supply of Nexperia chips in global supply chains, particularly those in the car industry.

Chinese state-owned firms launch car-chip testing platform amid Nexperia row

The facility is expected to bolster the localisation process in high-end car chips, as the Nexperia dispute threatens global supply chains.

Sino-Dutch dispute over chipmaker Nexperia puts car sector supply chain at risk

All eyes are on Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao’s meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels to defuse the row over Nexperia.

Nexperia China defies Dutch headquarters’ order to oust executive

The dispute escalates a geopolitical conflict that threatens to disrupt a global automotive chip supply chain.

Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape