TOPIC

/ company

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

Chinese carmaker Nio’s one millionth vehicle rolls off the assembly line in Hefei, Anhui province, in January. Photo: Xinhua

China manufacturing

China focuses on car standards to put industry in global driving seat

New five-year plan also emphasised importance of stronger standards in boosting Chinese manufacturers’ competitiveness.

17 Apr 2026 - 6:30PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

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12 Apr 2026 - 1:20PM

Donald Trump

Trump’s tariff threat on European cars escalates global trade tensions

10 Apr 2026 - 4:41AM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen tests China’s appetite for locally developed EVs

The three models, which will be launched over the next two weeks, use technology developed by Volkswagen’s Chinese partners.

9 Apr 2026 - 11:57AM

Volkswagen unveiled the ID. ERA 9X, ID. AURA T6 and ID. UNYX 08 electric vehicles in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Electric & new energy vehicles

More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars

Following Skoda’s exit from China, other carmakers with falling sales are also likely to close shop this year, analysts say.

6 Apr 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

China’s electric cars and Iran war, VW pulls Skoda: 7 EV reads

From some Chinese carmakers raising prices to Xiaomi’s fresh fight with Tesla, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

1 Apr 2026 - 3:30PM

Automotive industry

VW pulls Skoda brand from China after years of falling sales

Czech brand’s mainland sales declined from 341,000 in 2018 to around 15,000 last year as domestic carmakers’ EVs won market share.

26 Mar 2026 - 6:30PM

A Skoda Peaq electric car is seen during the opening of a new battery assembly hall at the Skoda factory in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic on February 27, 2026. Photo: AFP

China-Germany relations

Xi and Merz pledge to strengthen ties as they rebalance amid ‘turbulent’ times

After meeting Chinese leader, German chancellor calls for closer trade relations to unlock opportunities and drive economic prosperity.

26 Feb 2026 - 10:16AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Has Trump ceded EV market to China with latest string of policy shifts?

Analysts say rolling back regulations pushes US further towards petrol cars, discourages EV innovation, and gives China competitive edge.

19 Feb 2026 - 3:58AMvideocam

China-EU relations

Stung by Trump’s policies, German multinationals cautiously pivot towards China

German firms are keen to invest more in China as they shy away from the US, but they still face issues in the Chinese market, business group says.

6 Feb 2026 - 5:22PMvideocam

Workers assemble vehicles at a Volkswagen plant in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

Brazil scraps EV tariff break for Chinese carmaker BYD amid pressure from rivals

US, European and Japanese manufacturers combined to lobby for an end to favourable rules for Chinese kit imports.

5 Feb 2026 - 3:25PMvideocam

BYD controls more than 74 per cent of Brazil’s electric car segment. Photo: AFP

Electric & new energy vehicles

Major foreign carmakers set to stage a comeback in China this year: analysts

Foreign carmakers ‘will fight back because they will have the same products’ as their Chinese rivals, consultancy head Denis Depoux says.

23 Jan 2026 - 10:00AM

China-EU relations

China-EU deal on EVs marks rare agreement in frosty relations

The EU will waive tariffs on China-made battery electric vehicles if carmakers set a minimum price that offsets the effect of subsidies.

13 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

China-EU relations

Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry

To break the pattern of trade escalations with Beijing, Brussels must move beyond tariffs and invest in its own competitiveness.

13 Jan 2026 - 5:57PMvideocam

Employees work on the assembly line of vehicles at a workshop of FAW-Volkswagen on December 9, 2025, in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

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

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

China-EU relations

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

18 Dec 2025 - 9:30PMvideocam

European Union

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

For now, both sides still need each other and there is nowhere else to turn. But behind this reliance, irritation and paranoia are rising.

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

A vessel powered by CATL batteries. Photo: Handout

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

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

While China’s state-owned defence conglomerates continue to dominate weapons development, private companies have increasingly entered the sector in recent years under the country’s military-civil fusion strategy. Photo: Handout

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

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Volkswagen

China focuses on car standards to put industry in global driving seat

New five-year plan also emphasised importance of stronger standards in boosting Chinese manufacturers’ competitiveness.

Hyundai spearheads foreign EV comeback push in China with Ioniq brand

Trump’s tariff threat on European cars escalates global trade tensions

Volkswagen tests China’s appetite for locally developed EVs

The three models, which will be launched over the next two weeks, use technology developed by Volkswagen’s Chinese partners.

More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars

Following Skoda’s exit from China, other carmakers with falling sales are also likely to close shop this year, analysts say.

China’s electric cars and Iran war, VW pulls Skoda: 7 EV reads

From some Chinese carmakers raising prices to Xiaomi’s fresh fight with Tesla, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

VW pulls Skoda brand from China after years of falling sales

Czech brand’s mainland sales declined from 341,000 in 2018 to around 15,000 last year as domestic carmakers’ EVs won market share.

Xi and Merz pledge to strengthen ties as they rebalance amid ‘turbulent’ times

After meeting Chinese leader, German chancellor calls for closer trade relations to unlock opportunities and drive economic prosperity.

Has Trump ceded EV market to China with latest string of policy shifts?

Analysts say rolling back regulations pushes US further towards petrol cars, discourages EV innovation, and gives China competitive edge.

Stung by Trump’s policies, German multinationals cautiously pivot towards China

German firms are keen to invest more in China as they shy away from the US, but they still face issues in the Chinese market, business group says.

Brazil scraps EV tariff break for Chinese carmaker BYD amid pressure from rivals

US, European and Japanese manufacturers combined to lobby for an end to favourable rules for Chinese kit imports.

Major foreign carmakers set to stage a comeback in China this year: analysts

Foreign carmakers ‘will fight back because they will have the same products’ as their Chinese rivals, consultancy head Denis Depoux says.

China-EU deal on EVs marks rare agreement in frosty relations

The EU will waive tariffs on China-made battery electric vehicles if carmakers set a minimum price that offsets the effect of subsidies.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry

To break the pattern of trade escalations with Beijing, Brussels must move beyond tariffs and invest in its own competitiveness.

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

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

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

For now, both sides still need each other and there is nowhere else to turn. But behind this reliance, irritation and paranoia are rising.

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.

Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry