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“China has already become our second home. Volkswagen, with a strategy of ‘In China, For China,’ is deeply engaged in cultivating the new quality productive forces and contributing to China’s development,” Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China Ralf Brandstätter said in an interview with Xinhua.

Brandstätter noted that China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) industry is leading the global market and exemplifying new quality productive forces thanks to its vigorous focus on — and its advancements in — technological innovation.

To utilize the innovation power and dynamic growth of the Chinese market in an improved manner, Volkswagen Group has been establishing a state-of-the-art development, innovation and procurement center in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province.

Volkswagen China Technology Company (VCTC) in Hefei is Volkswagen Group’s largest development center outside of Germany. The company has been fully operational since January and is set to reduce the time it takes to develop new products and technologies by about 30 percent.

“In no other country is the dynamic of transformation and innovation in the automotive sector as pronounced as it is in China,” Brandstätter said.

In 2023, China’s production and sales volumes for new energy vehicles both surpassed 9 million units, securing the country’s position as the global leader in the sector for a ninth consecutive year.

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China’s production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.252 million and 1.207 million units, respectively, from January to February last year.  – Bloomberg