Volkswagen Aims to Export 300,000 China-Made Vehicles a Year by 2030

Volkswagen said it aims to export at least 300,000 vehicles made in China each year by 2030, as well as technologies developed in the country. Volkswagen Group’s China head Ralf Brandstätter announced the target on October 28 during a trip to Hefei in eastern China, where the firm has a large research and development centre, adding that “our ambition goes beyond exporting vehicles.”

For the first time, Volkswagen will also export technology developed in Hefei to other parts of Asia, the Middle East and South America — but not Europe for now. That includes the vehicles’ electronic architecture, developed with the help of Chinese company Xpeng, plus its platform and driver-assistance system, produced with China’s Horizon Robotics. Brandstätter’s summary: “What we develop in China makes Volkswagen more competitive around the world.”

The plan is also a response to crisis. Europe’s biggest carmaker has been hit by Chinese competition, weak demand in key markets and a choppy electric transition, and it struck a deal with unions in September to cut 50,000 additional jobs by 2030, bringing its total planned workforce reduction to around 100,000. Exporting China-built cars and China-developed tech is Volkswagen’s bet that the market that hurt it most can also become one of its most useful factories.