VW is on track to sell more vehicles in China than General Motors for the first time in nine years and to regain its place as the biggest foreign carmaker in the world’s largest car market.
Both VW and GM have exceeded their targets to deliver more than 3 million vehicles in China this year. Volkswagen was first to cross the mark on December 5, with GM following a week later. The German carmaker had a lead of about 70,000 vehicles in the first 11 months of the year, according to data from automakers quoted by Bloomberg News.
VW sales in China include those of Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini and Seat, but almost 80 percent of the deliveries are made up by the VW brand. Europe’s largest carmaker says it has capacity problems and could sell even more cars in China.
VW’s Audi, the top-selling premium brand in China, will begin sales of the locally made A3 Sedan and of a new version of the A4 next year, with other new VW Group models including the new VW Bora and Skoda Octavia sedans.
Meanwhile, GM announced top-level management changes, with Mary Barra to succeed Dan Akerson at the helm of the group in January and Matthew Tsien being appointed to oversee GM’s Chinese operations from January.
GM will launch four new Chevrolet models in China next year and the low-cost Baojun brand will add a compact hatchback and MPV. GM sells passenger vehicles in China under its Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Opel and Baojun brands, and counts the Wuling brand of mini-commercial vehicles as well.
However, researchers such as IHS Automotive and LMC Automotive, exclude Wuling from the tally.
By Dan Mihalascu
