China – The Shanghai-Volkswagen (SVW) factory in the south of the country has the capacity to produce 300,000 Volkswagen (VW) and Skoda vehicles per year, beginning with VW’s New Lavida. Changsha is the VW Group’s 119th facility worldwide and 20th in China.
“China is not only the Volkswagen Group’s largest and most important market; it has also become the Group’s second home market. We intend to develop the entire country as a company with local roots,” commented Jochem Heizmann.
He continued: “The plant in Changsha is a key step in our ‘Go South’ strategy in China. This new facility will bring us nearer to our Chinese customers and also improve the quality of our supply chain.” The plant itself is generating 4,000 jobs, while 4,000 more will be created in the nearby supplier park.
SVW Changsha was built over two years and has received the Triple-Star Green Building Design Award for its “environmentally compatible” design. It features a dry painting system with electrostatic precipitator technology (E-scrub), which will reduce water and energy consumption by more than 20%.
The plant will also use rainwater and recycled production water, cutting water consumption in production by 20%. On-site solar capabilities will generate over 10,000MWh, while further power will come from local hydroelectric plants. Production at Changsha will therefore be carbon-neutral, says VW.