Construction of Volkswagen Anhui's MEB plant started in April 2021, with more than 70 percent of the building construction already completed.
(Image credit: Volkswagen Group China)
The body shop at the MEB plant of Volkswagen Anhui, a joint venture between Volkswagen and JAC, has completed building construction, the German auto giant announced on Wednesday, adding that equipment installation will start in March.
Volkswagen Anhui, previously known as JAC Volkswagen, was established in 2017 in central China's Anhui as a joint venture between Volkswagen and JAC, and is the German automaker's first joint venture in China to focus on new energy vehicles (NEVs).
At the end of 2020, Volkswagen increased its stake in the company to 75 percent and had it renamed Volkswagen Anhui to focus primarily on the development and production of NEVs.
Volkswagen Anhui will have the third MEB plant of Volkswagen in China and will build pure electric vehicles based on the platform.
Construction of Volkswagen Anhui's MEB plant started in April 2021 and more than 70 percent of the building construction has been completed, the company said on Wednesday.
The plant site covers an area of about 500,000 square meters, including 140,000 square meters for the body shop, according to the company.
Together with the battery and component supplier campus under construction, the project will cover a total area of 930,000 square meters.
The entire MEB plant will be completed by mid-2022, with the first pre-production vehicle expected to roll off the production line in the second half of 2022 and mass production scheduled for the second half of 2023.
The plant's maximum annual capacity is expected to reach 350,000 NEVs, according to Volkswagen.
Volkswagen's current operations in China are mainly through two companies, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC-Volkswagen. In the eyes of analysts, Volkswagen Anhui offers new imagination for its growth in China.
In a research note released late last month, CITIC Securities said Volkswagen Anhui will become an important strategic node for Volkswagen in China in 3-5 years, and is expected to become the third pole of its growth in the country.
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