Beijing’s Auto China: About the secrets of success of the notchback
The Chinese are in love with them
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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.
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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