VW Group has delivered its first vehicle off the production line through its “In China, for China” strategy, with the ID.UNYX 08 having been developed in just 24 months and now entering series production.
VW Group is entering series production of the ID.UNYX 08 in China, having developed the model in just 24 months through its partnership with Chinese EV maker XPeng.
Source: VW Group
The ID.UNYX
08 model is the OEM’s first fully connected all-electric full-size SUV. Series
production has begun in Hefei, eastern China as part of VW Group’s “In China,
for China” strategy, in partnership with Chinese OEM XPeng. Taking only two
years since the start of the partnership, it marks a rapid advance in the
product cycle.
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“On
average, the VW Group is launching one new electric car every two weeks this
year,” said Ralf Branstätter, chairman and CEO of VW Group China. “That’s ‘China
Speed’.”
The
carmaker said the linchpin of this progress is the integration into the local
supply chain through strategic, targeted partnerships, and the reinforcement of
local R&D capabilities.
VW Group entered into a long-term partnership with XPeng in 2023, focusing on
product development and technological innovation at scale. Following this
model, the second all-electric vehicle through the partnership will hit the
market within this year, according to VW Group.
The
Volkswagen Group China Company (VCTC), the group’s biggest R&D centre
outside Germany, was established in 2023 to help VW Group to fully integrate itself
into China’s supply chain and to customise products faster to meet the needs of
Chinese customers. While integrating local innovations with this model, the
VCTC acted as development partner for XPeng and led the product design and
quality standards to ensure the model upholds VW Group’s “DNA of rigorous
quality, safety and hallmark driving experience”.
Through
becoming embedded in the local supply chain by way of partnerships with local groups
like XPeng, VW Group is achieving faster supply chain logistics and planning,
leading to a compression in the time it takes for a product development cycle.
This quickening of product cycles has been driven by disruption in recent
years, requiring OEMs to compress timelines and react more quickly to adapt to
risk and stay competitive.
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Alongside
XPeng and VW Group’s software centre CARIAD China, the VCTC has developed
Volkswagen’s first locally engineered zonal electrical and electronic architecture,
the China Electronic Architecture (CEA). The architecture will cover NEVs and
fuel-powered vehicles and will be future-ready for all VW domestic models.
More than
20 new NEV models are scheduled for launch throughout this year, according to
the carmaker, building on its ramp up in momentum, and by 2030 it expects to
introduce 50 new NEV models to the market.
He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of XPeng
said the ID.UNYX 08 entering series production is a tangible result.
“Built on mutual trust and close collaboration, this partnership allows both
sides to combine our strengths and create long-term value,” he said. “We look
forward to a continued cooperation and a win-win future.”
