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04/19/18
Wolfsburg
Company

The Chinese are in love with them

Santana (China version, 1986)
Archive
Santana (Chinese version, 1986). The Santana, a Passat derivative, was produced in China from 1983 to 2012. It made a lasting contribution to Volkswagen’s good reputation in China.

Beijing’s Auto China: About the secrets of success of the notchback

Volkswagen and China enjoy a good and close relationship for 35 years, already. In the 1980s, Germany was one of the first foreign car makers to come to the country to produce cars. The first Santana rolled off the production line in Shanghai in April 1983. The car, with its clearly distinguishable boot, was called a notchback saloon in technical jargon. The Santana started the unique success story of Volkswagen in China.

China is the largest car market in the world today, and Volkswagen is the undisputed market leader there. The brand’s most popular model is the Lavida and has the same popular body shape as the Santana. But the most up-to-date technology, based on the modular transverse matrix, lies beneath the skin of the notchback saloon. Last year, Volkswagen sold more than 450,000 units of its bestseller alone.

Altogether, approximately 24 million cars were sold in China in 2017. That was more than twice as many as were sold ten years earlier. Volkswagen set a very special record: last year, for the first time, 3.2 million cars were delivered in China. That is more than one brand has ever sold in a single country. Volkswagen’s market share is a good 13 percent – more than double the next best manufacturer.

Four Volkswagen models are currently among the ten top sellers in China. The Tiguan –Family, and the three notchbacks Lavida, Sagitar, and Jetta.

New Lavida (China 2012) The Lavida is currently Volkswagen’s most popular model. Like the Santana, it is also a notchback saloon.

Volkswagen is traditionally strong among saloons in China. After all, the Santana is for the Chinese what the Beetle was for the Germans. The entry into life with a car. Into individual mobility. For most people in China, Volkswagen has actually always been part of the country and of their lives – from the grandparents’ generation to the grandchildren today.

Exciting, expressive design
The Chinese will see innovations at this year’s Beijing Auto Show, starting on the 25th of April with the media days, which will raise this success story to new levels.

The I.D. VIZZION will spark great excitement among the technology-loving public at the show. The purely electric concept car can drive fully autonomous.

It will be shown for the first time in China and illustrates the spectacular future of the saloon.

The notchback models on exhibit will demonstrate that Volkswagen is re-interpreting this category, much-loved in China, with a further development in the language of form. It is part of the brand’s “Move Forward” strategy. Chinese customers value an expressive design highly, in all segments. That’s why Volkswagen will also be showing the new Touareg in Beijing. This SUV recently had its world premiere in China. Now car-show visitors can see it. Touch it. And get into it.

The notchback saloon models will continue to have a central role in Volkswagen’s extensive range of cars. True to the motto, “Build cars where they are bought.” And to the taste of the people who live there. One part of the Volkswagen brand’s regionalisation strategy is that more of the development of models for China will be done locally. To be sure, they will have German DNA for technology and expertise. But the design, luxury and equipment will be determined directly in the market. In addition, Chinese customers expect mobility to be fully digitized and connected. All of this on a level that is world-wide second to none.

ID. VIZZION. The ID. VIZZION’s interior is spacious and spectacular. A characteristic which is very important in the Chinese market.

Plenty of interior space
Most Chinese customers expect plenty of space in their cars and a comfortable suspension. The notchbacks offer all of that and more.

The stretch versions are a specialty in the country. They are bought by customers who sit in the rear and have chauffeurs drive them. Therefore, the most important seat in these cars is in the back. In the stretch versions, the rear seats are accordingly comfortable. There are also visual differences. For example, gleaming chrome elements and red interiors. Both symbolise good fortune and wealth.

Approximately 100,000 people work for Volkswagen in China today. The vehicles are produced in two joint venture companies. One, SAIC Volkswagen Corporation Ltd, has its headquarters in Shanghai. The other, FAW-Volkswagen Corporation Ltd, was established in Changchun in northern China. Both joint ventures operate numerous factories in the country. They range from Urumqi in Mongolia to Foshan in the south. And there are various component factories.

China is not only Volkswagen’s most important market. It is, in principle, also a home market: for the Chinese people, China and Volkswagen have belonged together for decades.

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Products as well as Volkswagen AG distributors can be found at: www.volkswagen.de.

The specified fuel consumption and emission data have been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law. Since 1st September 2017, certain new vehicles are already being type-approved according to the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Starting on September 1st 2018, the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) will be replaced by the WLTP in stages. Owing to the more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured according to the WLTP will, in many cases, be higher than those measured according to the NEDC. For further information on the differences between the WLTP and NEDC, please visit www.volkswagen.de/wltp.

We are currently still required by law to state the NEDC figures. In the case of new vehicles which have been type-approved according to the WLTP, the NEDC figures are derived from the WLTP data. It is possible to specify the WLTP figures voluntarily in addition until such time as this is required by law. In cases where the NEDC figures are specified as value ranges, these do not refer to a particular individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the sales offering. They are intended exclusively as a means of comparison between different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (e.g. add-on parts, different tyre formats, etc.) may change the relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics, and, in conjunction with weather and traffic conditions and individual driving style, may affect fuel consumption, electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions and the performance figures for the vehicle.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at www.dat.de.