SHANGHAI — Volkswagen Group’s Chinese joint venture with SAIC has transformed one of its plants in Shanghai for production, research and development of electric vehicles, VW said.
Production of internal combustion engine models at the main plant of SAIC Volkswagen in Anting of Shanghai will be relocated to other plants, VW said in an emailed statement to Reuters, which came after comments on social media saying VW was shutting a plant in Shanghai.
The change will not affect the production capacity for individual models, it added.
The move underscores VW’s efforts to accelerate its shift to electrification as it has been losing shares in its biggest market where it lags behind Chinese rivals in launching new EV models.
VW-branded cars have been outsold by EV maker BYD since November last year, according to data from industrial associations.