Volkswagen to launch more than 30 new models in China by 2028

Volkswagen has unveiled a trio of striking concept cars at the Auto Shanghai motor show. None are slated to come to the UK, but they will be among the 30 new models that the company claims it will be launching in China by the end of 2027.

“The three concept vehicles are the visible outcome of our ‘In China, for China’ strategy,” said Thomas Schafer, CEO of Volkswagen. “Volkswagen put China on wheels 40 years ago. And as you can see, we have the right ingredients to continue our success story. We will remain in pole position among foreign automakers in China.”

In Europe, Volkswagen is focusing nearly all its attention on launching new electric cars, but in China, the company will be offering customers a selection of pure-electric, plug-in hybrid and range-extender set-ups showcased by these new concepts. Each car is also the product of a joint venture between VW and a different Chinese firm.

For instance, the ID. ERA that previews a new  full-size seven-seat SUV and potential Kia EV9 rival, comes from SAIC-Volkswagen. That name should be familiar, because SAIC owns MG. This will also be the first VW product to feature range-extender technology, meaning it uses an engine under the bonnet primarily to generate energy for the batteries and e-motors, to provide an EV-like driving experience.

Volkswagen hasn’t shared any precise technical details about the ID. ERA yet, but says the car’s set-up offers more than 1,000km (621 miles) of non-stop driving, about 180 miles of which is just from the battery. 

The ID. EVO is a sharper-looking all-electric SUV, supposedly targeted at younger, more lifestyle-conscious buyers, created by Volkswagen Anhui – a joint venture with JAC Motors. This is the first model in VW’s new ‘ID. UNYX’ family for China, but perhaps more importantly, it features an 800-volt platform – like the Porsche Taycan, but not something used by any of the EVs the company sells in Europe.

Finally, there’s the ID. AURA saloon from FAW-Volkswagen – a partnership with another of China’s largest state-owned car manufacturers, which also has joint ventures with Toyota and General Motors.

It sits on the ‘Compact Main Platform’, which is otherwise known as CMP, but is not the same CMP platform that the Vauxhall Corsa, Jeep Avenger and countless other Stellantis products use. Volkswagen’s new underpinnings uses a ‘zonal electronic architecture’, which the company designed specifically for the Chinese market, and offers benefits for efficiency, connectivity and even reducing weight. 

VW also claims that “through its AI-based high computing capacity, the system for highly automated driving that is used on this platform raises the bar for smart yet natural driving behaviour.” The road-going versions of all three cars will feature AI-based automated driving systems, though, and will boast ‘Level 2++’ autonomous driving capabilities from early next year, meaning they’ll be able to handle overtaking, turning manoeuvres and merging into traffic, with only the driver’s supervision.

Thomas Ulbrich, CEO of the Volkswagen China Technology Center, says development of new models will take up to 34 months at most, compared with the 54 months the company usually needs. “We picked up ‘China speed’ with our new development center in Hefei,” says Ulbrich, adding “we will launch the right models at the right speed and with the right partners.”

Despite collaborating with various different brands to create the concepts and their forthcoming production versions, each is still recognisable as a VW product. Head designer Andreas Mindt revealed, “The ID. CODE show car we exhibited in Beijing last year was the jumping-off point for our new design direction in China. We have refined this in recent months and adapted it specifically for each of our joint ventures.”

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