JAC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. held a groundbreaking ceremony for the New Energy Passenger Vehicle Project R&D Centre located in Hefei, Anhui Province. The ceremony came two weeks after a strategic agreement was signed by Volkswagen Group China, JAC and SEAT in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Hefei Municipal Committee Secretary Song Guoquan, Volkswagen Group China President and CEO Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, JAC Chairman An Jin, SEAT Vice-president for Production and Logistics, Dr. Christian Vollmer and SEAT Vice-president for R&D Dr. Matthias Rabe, along with other local government representatives and senior executives of JAC Volkswagen’s shareholders participated in the historic groundbreaking ceremony together with investors and employee representatives.
“Today’s groundbreaking for the R&D centre is another breakthrough in the history of JAC Volkswagen,” said JAC Volkswagen President Li Ming. “Electrification and making cars smart are the key directions for the transformation that is happening in the automotive industry. With the strong support of the shareholders and all the sectors, the company is seizing the opportunity to pursue innovation-driven development in its new energy vehicle offensive, and move towards the future of sustainable mobility.”
The R&D centre, located in the Hefei Economic and Technology Development Zone, will focus on key areas such as electrification, connectivity and autonomous driving. All parties will leverage their investment, knowledge and technology strengths to ensure the R&D centre fulfils its goals. This project is an indicator of the progress that JAC Volkswagen is making in its battery electric vehicle offensive, and signals a firm step towards the next stage of development.