FAW-Volkswagen bets on innovation to keep sales strong

Sino-German joint venture FAW-Volkswagen is blazing new trails for its development strategies and operating systems, helping the automaker achieve a favorable sales volume in the first half of 2020.

From January to June, FAW-Volkswagen sold 874,174 vehicles, of which 504,793 were Volkswagen branded, 301,817 Audi branded and 67,564 Jetta branded.

In June alone, the Volkswagen brand reached a sales volume of 102,452 units, while Audi sold 67,888 units and 14,247 Jetta models were sold.

With its efforts made in striking a balance between stabling production and preventing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, FAW-Volkswagen achieved an output of 893,158 units in total during the first six months of this year.

On March 30, the joint venture reached an important milestone, announcing that it had rolled off 20 million vehicles since its establishment in 1991.

Favorable sales and production performance benefited from FAW-Volkswagen's amplified product lineup and innovative development strategies and operating systems, according to the automaker.

FAW-Volkswagen launched a slew of new models in the first half of this year, covering all three of its marques. The new models include the Tayron GTE, Tayron X, all-new Audi A4 L, all-new Audi A6 L, all-new Audi Q7 and Jetta VS7.

As the first new energy SUV model of the automaker's Volkswagen marque, the Tayron GTE features the racing genes and efficient plug-in hybrid technology of the Volkswagen GT family, and is expected to become a new benchmark product in the plug-in hybrid segment, according to FAW-Volkswagen.

To ensure intensive development in the new energy vehicle industry, the automaker has renovated its Foshan plant to prepare to produce electric models on its MEB platform.

At the same time, the automaker is working on building its charging system and improving its supporting services for new energy products.

This year, FAW-Volkswagen pressed the fast-forward button on the digital transformation of its sales system, aiming to strengthen innovative marketing and realize efficient communication with users.

In March, the automaker launched 66 live-streaming marketing activities together with its dealers. And 66 senior executives with FAW-Volkswagen were present in live-streaming events to promote vehicles.

Making the best of the E-Lane intelligent production management platform, which was developed independently by the automaker, FAW-Volkswagen forged an effective manufacturing system covering its five production bases in Changchun, Jilin province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; Qingdao, Shandong province; Tianjin; and Foshan, Guangdong province.

So far this year, thanks to its intelligent production management, FAW-Volkswagen's production base in Changchun improved its production capacity by 5 percent from the same period in 2019.

To further improve its technology research and development system, the automaker began the construction of a new technology development center in May, which is scheduled to come into service by the end of 2022. The center is expected to help FAW-Volkswagen seize strategic opportunities and achieve advanced development, according to the automaker.