From the “magic car brand” in the past to putting the demand of the Chinese market at the core now, the Volkswagen passenger car brand is promoting “transformation”.
So during the 2024 Beijing auto show, Volkswagen passenger car brand CEO Thomas Sch ä fer, together with Volkswagen passenger car brand China CEO Stefan Mecha, opened the chatterbox to the media, revealing not only that Volkswagen will push and mix with ordinary people, but also explained sensitive topics such as “why cooperation with Xiaopeng did not adopt the latest platform”.
If we carefully compare the broad motorization paths of Volkswagen and Toyota, it is not difficult to find that the similarities are “diversified choices”, from gas-electric hybrid / general hybrid HEV, plug-in hybrid PHEV to pure electric BEV, but the difference is that Volkswagen still puts pure electric at the core and first place of motorization, while Toyota hides the expression of “which route is more important” It only means “provide the electrified technology that the user needs”.
In fact, whether Volkswagen re-takes the mixed route, or even inserts the mixed route, or Volkswagen cooperates with Xiaopeng to promote the ID.
UX Gold Standard and Public Series, the essence of “Toyota” and “mixing” is that Volkswagen speeds up its “Sinicization” and re-examines the needs of the Chinese market.
The review of the relationship between supply and demand is the real way out for the automobile industry to improve efficiency from the supply-side dimension.
Volkswagen is back on the hybrid road.
If we look back at the electrification of Volkswagen Group and Volkswagen brands, we can generally divide the stages according to the strategies of the global leaders.
When Martin Winterkorn became CEO of Volkswagen Group in 2015, Volkswagen was still promoting the gradual electrification route, focusing on mixing.
Later, China saw that the old GTE was also the product left behind at that time, and most of the topics discussed at the annual meeting in Aachen, Germany at that time were also related to interruption.
After “Emission Gate” in 2015, Matthias Mullen became CEO, setting the direction of ALL-IN pure electric, which was continued by Herbert Dis (Deiss added intelligence to the overall technical circuit).
In the plans of current Volkswagen Group CEO Obermu, Volkswagen passenger car brand CEO Shi Wentao, Volkswagen passenger car brand China CEO Meng Xia, etc.
, pure electric vehicle BEV is still the primary component of the broad electrification strategy, which is more in line with the long-term development strategy, but plug-in hybrid PHEV and gas-electric hybrid HEV have been put back on the agenda.
During the Shanghai auto show last year, it was generally believed that the mixing technology was not the mainstream in the future.
” Shi Wentao explained that the fundamental reason for the change in Volkswagen’s direction was the change in the market.
At that time, subsidies in China, Europe and the United States were reduced, and license plate policies were also disadvantageous to the confusion.
However, since the second half of 2023, the information received by Volkswagen has changed again.
In response to the “Auto Commune” question, “does Volkswagen regard interruption as a short-term transition or long-term coexistence with pure electricity”, Shi Wentao did not give a direct answer in the first paragraph, but described the complexity of the market: “in China, the local ecology continues to evolve.
Users pay special attention to the battery life and car purchase costs of the hybrid.
Therefore, Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (VCTC) and the joint venture are committed to localizing adjustments to meet market demand.
” However he then mentioned a “transitional strategy” but did not say whether it was long-term or temporary.
Chinese users have a great demand for mixing technology and are also affected by relevant incentive policies.
Therefore, the hybrid model is still an important part of our product lineup.
” Meng Xia stressed the direction of mixing, but also reiterated the status of pure electric, “from the global technology development trend, pure electricity is still the core of the future, we must continue to invest, maintain focus, firm goals.
” With regard to the non-plug-in hybrid HEV, Meng Xia replied that the joint venture would lead the development to meet the needs of the Chinese market, but it would be more more complementary in terms of status.
As we all know, according to the technical architecture route, gas-electric hybrid can be divided into Toyota THS PS power shunt, Honda sharp hybrid P1+P3 series-parallel motor series-parallel and general-purpose double planetary gear set.
Volkswagen has not disclosed which route the non-plug-in hybrid has chosen, but considering that it is developed by a joint venture between FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC-Volkswagen, and is a supplementary position, it should not occupy a large share of Volkswagen’s entire electrification system.
Electric transformation is very important.
The speed of market acceptance varies from country to country, and the Chinese market has widely accepted this transformation.
This not only involves cost balance, but also requires more investment in pure electric models.
Fuel cars are our traditional advantage.
” In response to “the combination of oil and electricity and the balance of costs and profits,” Shi Wentao explained that in the future, different brands within Volkswagen Group will tap the potential of synergy, not only to reduce costs and efficiency, but also to invest in the cutting edge to ensure that future models and technologies meet the needs of the market.
Volkswagen’s latest electrification strategy can be divided into two dimensions: first, overall electrification provides diversified solutions, with HEV, PHEV and BEV simultaneously.
second, pure electric still occupies the most important position.
On the eve of this year’s Beijing auto show, Volkswagen Anhui released the gold standard “Yuzhong” ID.
UX series, the first of which is ID. Unyx. As the “son of Volkswagen”, Volkswagen Anhui is highly expected by the public.
At present, both the blueprint MEB platform of the first models and the CMP platform for the Chinese market and entry are all dedicated platforms for pure electricity.
As a result, the public’s attention to pure electric is still not significantly weakened because of the re-insertion of mixing and general mixing.
How can the ID.
UX series of Volkswagen Anhui be distinguished from the ID series of pure electric vehicles of FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC-Volkswagen? ID.
UNYX is the first car in this category with avant-garde design and novel style. ID. UX’s design focuses on lifestyle, “Meng Xia explained.
” We hope to showcase Volkswagen in ID through this category.
The more diverse, younger, more design side of the family.
Looking to the future, ID.
UX category will launch other models. ID. UNYX is just the beginning.
It is significantly different from our FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC-Volkswagen models.
” According to Meng Xia, Volkswagen Anhui will launch five ID.
UX models by 2027, and two B-class models in cooperation with Xiaopeng will also be included in ID.
UX, which will also be produced in Volkswagen Anhui and ID in China by 2030.
The number of models reached 16, including ID.
UX and CMP platform models.Wait. The design is younger, the orientation focuses on the lifestyle, and the function is enhanced and intelligent, which is generally the difference between ID.
UX and the ID of the public in the north and the south.
First of all, we will launch ID.
UNYX, which is based on the MEB platform and equipped with the latest software, will bring many unique features and features.
The model is not only avant-garde in design, “Meng Xia explains the distinction between ID.
UX and North-South Volkswagen ID in three dimensions,” representing a modern way of life, but also integrates advanced technologies such as human-computer interaction, AI intelligent assistants and intelligent lane-changing functions.
We hope to make the brand more avant-garde through these innovations, so as to reach a new user group.
” However, unlike Jetta, which becomes a new brand independently, ID.
UX belongs to sequence or “new category” as ID.
Extension of the family.
But Volkswagen executives did not directly answer whether ID.
UX will be pushed from China to the world in the future.
In fact even the ID of North and South Volkswagen Series, Volkswagen executives are also trying to find a distinction.
“Joint ventures have different positioning and have their own unique strategies and focus.
” When asked about SAIC-Volkswagen electrification more radical, Meng Xia said, “ID.
3 market performance is excellent, has been firmly in the forefront of the market.
” Despite the fierce competition, we are still committed to reducing costs, but provide configurations that meet the needs, thereby increasing value. ID.4 has also been successful, ranking first in sales in its category in 2023.
We are confident that ID.
7 sales are steadily rising.
Our focus has always been clear.
” Electrification 2.
0 is intelligent.
China’s urban NOA has reached a market segment of 10-150000 this year, and Volkswagen is also catching up from the perspective of intelligence.
At the time of development, especially in the Chinese biosphere, it is important to ensure that vehicles are rich in functions while controlling costs.
” Meng Xia acknowledges the advanced nature of China’s automobile ecology, so fuel models such as Maiteng and Tuguan L Pro are becoming more interconnected and intelligent, equipped with a series of advanced intelligent driving systems.
At the underlying technical level Volkswagen is promoting the development and application of the CMP platform and the new electrical and electronic architecture CEA and focusing on cost control.
coupled with cooperation with Xiaopeng Volkswagen’s goal is to apply new technology to models at different prices.
The acceleration of “Sinicization”, from “firmly ranking first in China” to not mentioning “taking the lead” in the era of electrification, but only the process of catching up and Volkswagen’s “modesty” is not only the process of changing the balance of the automobile industry at home and abroad, but also the process of changing VW’s thinking in the largest single market.
What kind of position can Volkswagen brand maintain in the fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market? Meng Xia did not evade this sensitive issue but first emphasized the accumulation of Volkswagen.
“first of all, Volkswagen has been ploughing deeply in China for 40 years, witnessing the different stages of the development of China’s automobile market and is always committed to self-innovation.
” Next, Meng Xia frankly admitted “Chinese speed”, pointing out that “the current market competition is becoming increasingly fierce and the demand for many new technologies and new functions emerge in endlessly.
” This means that we need to accelerate our self-innovation and quickly adapt to changes in China and global markets.
” Therefore, Volkswagen’s new energy vehicles, fuel vehicles and hybrid new models are already “ready to go”.
To this end, Volkswagen is not only strengthening its own research and development in China, but also strengthening cooperation with local partners to speed up scientific and technological innovation.
Volkswagen Hefei Intelligent Network Union Electric vehicle Center is actively expanding its talent team and is expected to gather 3000 experts by the end of the year in order to better meet the needs of Chinese consumers.
In cooperation with Xiaopeng Motor, the hardware blueprint is based on Xiaopeng G9’s Edward platform and is not the latest support platform, for which two Volkswagen executives explained that “the overall technology is still up-to-date.
” For the choice of platform we focus on the compatibility of cutting-edge technologies, such as the latest advanced intelligent driving systems and self-driving technologies above L2, as well as the latest electronic and electrical architectures.
Our cooperation is not only to use a chassis, but also to apply the most advanced technology and design on this basis to make the final product unique in the market.
” Shi Wentao said that in his view, the body and chassis hardware are one aspect, while the electronic and electrical architecture is more representative of the new functions.
Meng Xia stressed that this is the latest platform suitable for the size of the B-class car, and on this basis for further development, especially battery technology optimization and cost control.
With the increase of Volkswagen’s research and development in China, on the one hand, it is launching a concept car such as ID.
CODE, which represents the future design direction and jointly developed by China and Germany, on the other hand, it is also improving the strength of the local team in China.
We do consider developing more localized designs in China in the future, which will be an important part of our integration of global design with local needs.
” In response to whether more development tasks will be placed on China in the future, Shi Wentao said, “our goal is not only to use Chinese technology to design for China, but also to combine global trends and trends.
” Ideally, the Chinese team will not only focus on the Chinese market, but also integrate global technology and design.
” The “volume” culture of Chinese cars has affected multinational giants such as Volkswagen and Toyota, paying more attention to China, adding more weight to China, and making their strategies more rational from the shape of the Chinese market.
will be the top priority of the giants at this stage.
Therefore, the public chooses to turn around and mix, which seems to be “Toyota”, but in fact it is still “Sinicized” in essence.
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