Shanghai Volkswagen Increases Production Capacity with Branch in Nanjing

Santana Vista first model to be produced

Nanjing, 18 April 2008 - Shanghai Volkswagen inaugurated its fourth car plant today to meet growing car demand in China. The site has an initial capacity of 60,000 vehicles and is located in Nanjng/Jiangsu Province, about 300km from Shanghai. First model to be produced will be the Santana Vista.

The inauguration was attended by Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen AG, Mr HU Maoyuan, Chairman of SAIC and SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd., as well as by other top-executives of the shareholders and representatives of the Jiangsu provincial government and the Nanjing municipal government.

Shanghai Volkswagen modified an already existing plant on an area of 640,000 square meter to meet the production quality and productivity standards of Volkswagen. It consists of a press-, body-, paint- and an assembly-shop. The company took over about 1,200 employees which have been trained in Shanghai Volkswagen’s plants in Anting/Shanghai.

The new plant is part of Volkswagen’s and its partner’s strategy to increase capacity step by step in line with the market demand since the previous capacity of about one million vehicles was utilized by more than 95 percent. To follow its path of further growth the added plant will support Volkswagen Group’s goal to sell more than one million vehicles in 2008 and keep a growth momentum in the coming years. Volkswagen Group China delivered about 910,000 vehicles to customers in 2007. The site in Nanjing is the 49th in the worldwide production network of the Volkswagen Group.

Source: Volkswagen