VW makes good on NEV promise

German carmaker launches e-Golf, e-Bora and e-Lavida in Zhuhai

Volkswagen's Lavida, Bora and Golf models have been electrified to make good on the German auto giant's promise of meeting the demand of the world's largest new energy vehicle market.

With its two Chinese joint ventures, Volkswagen unveiled the three fully-electric models - the e-Lavida, e-Bora and e-Golf on March 25, in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province.

"Our ambition is clear, we want to be the number one NEV brand in China," said Stephan Woellenstein, CEO of Volkswagen China's passenger cars brand at the launch event.

The electric models are well-designed, perfectly-packaged, well-engineered, of high functionality and easy to use, to make sure they are reliable, safe and durable, Woellenstein added.

Coupled with Volkswagen's latest new energy technology, the e-Lavida has good power performance and has passed 169 battery safety tests to offer an efficient and quality mobility experience, and keeping the large interior space of the latest-generation Lavida, according to the automaker.

The SAIC Volkswagen Lavida has proved a popular model in China with more than 4 million being sold, according to Jia Mingdi, executive vice-president of sales and marketing at SAIC Volkswagen Automotive.

"The e-Lavida will further inject strong momentum for SAIC Volkswagen to develop new energy vehicles, along with the launch of plug-in hybrid electric versions of the Passat and Tiguan L, and the establishing of the first NEV plant in 2018," said Jia at the launch event.

FAW-Volkswagen - Volkswagen AG's other joint venture in China - is also developing its NEV range with the launch of the e-Golf and e-Bora, with those models followed up with plug-in hybrid electrics for the Magotan GTE and Tayron GTE later this year. "The launching of the first two new energy models, the e-Golf and e-Bora, means that FAW-Volkswagen is entering into the whole range of the new energy sector," said Dong Xiuhui, commercial vice-president of FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co.

The new models will cater to customers by providing safer and more environmentally-friendly mobility solutions, Dong noted.

Hitting the market in the middle of this year, the e-Bora and e-Golf will be comfortable, practical and spacious, and not compromise on power and performance, according to the carmaker.

The three China-produced full-electric models mark that Volkswagen's electrification offensive is entering into a new phase, during which a fourth full-electric vehicle will be unveiled in 2020.

As scheduled, Volkswagen will introduce around 10 new energy models into the Chinese market by 2020, with the carmaker planning to produce 300,000 NEVs in the country in the same year.

In the future, Volkswagen will launch more full-electric models, which will be produced on the automaker's newly-designed MEB platform.

Volkswagen's NEV push began at the end of last year, when it unveiled a portfolio of six plug-in hybrid electric models in Beijing - the Passat PHEV, Tiguan L PHEV, Touareg PHEV, Volkswagen Variant GTE, Tayron GTE Concept and Magotan GTE Concept.