Volkswagen Polo production starts at new Chinese plant

By David Zalstein | August 01st, 2012

FIND DEALS

Volkswagen Group has celebrated the completion of construction of its new Yizheng plant in China with the production of its first vehicle.

The Yizheng plant in Eastern China, designed for an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles, will be Shanghai Volkswagen’s second plant to produce the Volkswagen Polo in China.

The new production site, that covers approximately 1.3 million square meters, includes press, body and paint shops, a final assembly unit and a technical testing centre as well as a training academy and an energy centre. Volkswagen says the plant will create about 3700 new jobs for the region.

The new plant also sets high environmental standards becoming one of the Volkswagen Group’s most environmentally compatible plants. Advanced production processes, geothermal energy to heat and cool the factory halls and solar panels to recharge transfer trucks and employees’ e-bikes combine as part of the company’s goal of making its worldwide production 25 per cent more environmentally compatible by 2018.

Volkswagen announced plans to construct the plant back in July of 2010 with an intended opening date sometime in 2013, but a construction period of only two years resulted in the new facility being operational earlier. The plant is also planned to produce models from the Volkswagen-owned Skoda brand in the future.

The People’s Republic of China is Volkswagen’s largest sales market globally, with 2.26 million vehicles delivered to customers in China in 2011.

Sponsored Ads

Smart US

one would wonder where the next supply is gonna come from…
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=737660467 Kit Ho
  
  Before you say something like that, look at how many cars have a production line in China, and how many of those are supplied Australia
  - Smart US
    
    how many and what of non chinese cars?
    - Ak
      
      It would be easier to count which global brand has no production line in china
    - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=737660467 Kit Ho
      
      Just trying to say the China-produced Polo most likely will not make it to Australia
      - Michael Lock
        
        True, the whole car will not be sold here but I can bet you VW will have many of the components made in China and sent out to plants around the world for assembly so still the same to me.
        I do not believe in products made in China, not even a soup bowl!!! Especially when the ‘brand owner’ still wants to charge the same $ as when manufactured in Europe, like Addidas, Nike and Whitegoods etc. but I will admit they are good at cheap electronics only becuase this stuff is not expected to last past the generation product in a year or two. But I expect a car to last much longer and the components contained within the car and don’t mind paying a slightly higher price.
      - Lu
        
        while it is your choice to not believe in “made in China”, but let me remind you that China as the largest market today, average Chinese customers also expect their cars to last more than 1 or 2 years, just like you do. and Yes, they do last more than 1 or 2 years, they last for ages, because Chinese motorists value their cars a lot, and also because the parts are also manufactured in China, it’s much much cheaper to be replaced, also because labour costs almost nothing in China, servicing is dirt cheap as well….
        
        maybe all of the above is one of the reasons why Chinese made cars are rarely sold overseas, but I think most importantly is because the factory can’t keep up with the sales. Average Chinese consumers don’t buy imported cars, because there is a huge tax, it’s even worse than the Australian LCT. It’s implemented by the government so they can force global organisations like car companies to set up factories in China, providing jobs, and technologies.
        
        About the price, China made are normally cheaper than european made. they might not be as classy or reliable or original, but they do pack value for money. I as a Chinese hate this system, sometimes I think some of the Chinese made products are disgrace, but I have to say the system is working ( the system being “made in China, lower quality, better price”), that is why everything is still made in China, despite the inferior made quality. The consumers all around the world got used to it, because as if right now, China stop manufacturing anything, we (you and me in Australia) wouldn’t be able to afford shit, because the price will be driven up so high by the labour costs from other developed countries, even if everything is made in developing countries besides China, there won’t be enough production power to sustain a healthy supply/demand balance, the price will still go up, a lot more. so either way, we are stuck with it. You being native Australia stuck with “not liking made in China because lower quality”, while me the native Chinese stuck with ” Aww it feels like shit why everything made in China looks like crap”. to sum up, no sane Chinese entrepreneur would charge Euro made price for a China made product, it wouldn’t make sense.
        
        I guess I got carried away…..
        Please don’t hate….
        
        If anyone think my English sucks, I know, thanks for reminding me.
      - Ben
        
        Don’t mistake products that you buy because they are very cheap with products that are made to quality standards. There is a big difference. I spent years researching this for products I was sourcing from China.
        
        This is no different when it comes to products, no matter what they are, from China. If you buy cheap you will get cheap. There are generally many options of high quality, but they will not be the cheap ones. So maybe stop buying the cheapest and you will have a much better experience with Chinese products.
Dirty Roads

German price for a Chinese product…
- F1MotoGP
  
  No German cars will come from China people just won’t buy it. I would not and I sure I am not alone and VW knows that. BMW got factory there too and all BMW are sold only for the Chinese market.
  - F1MotoGP
    
    I just remembered there was VW Polo sedan in 2005 and that car was from China. Lasted less than 12 months.
    - Doctor
      
      VW was hoping that you didn’t!
gt86.com.au

LOL will these be as good as the South African models?
- Smart US
  
  they would not take iron ore from Oz – its reciprocal… the funny thing is – they are smarter than us
- Jinnzhang
  
  Your question is answered in the article: 2.26 million vehicles sold in 2011, with majority 95%+ made in China.
Niklaus Manoj

hello ni hao ma
Jake

Silly comments.
This factory will supply the Chinese market only.
Garrywhopper

Me washy washy the parts in the Yangtze river, me forced to worky worky in big factory with picture of Mao looking at us
- Yetiman
  
  Me tink you are a moron.
Jimmy

if vw thinks they are good business partner since the 80s yet we think theirs are bad but south african, spanish, argentinean and mexican ones are ok; it tells a lot how double standard and backward people are.
Jacob

VW is not regarded as reliable as BMW or Toyota in any market.

The sooner we realize this, the better.
- Guest
  
  Actually it’s worse than that, there are wildly different accounts of reliability and ownership costs according to VW owners, anything from “My Golf has done 200,000k’s and all I’ve replaced is the oil” to ” My Golf has done 20,000k’s and it’s been at the dealership 25 times” No other manufacturer seems to have that sort of inconsistency, normally it’s a fairly specific issue(s) and a large number of owners suffer the same problem. It just goes to show you really are rolling the dice when you buy a VW.
  - Guest
    
    That’s what worries me about the Amarok – its putting out as much as 430 Nm from just 2 litres but is it built like a 4 litre engine? Who wants to find out that the dice rolled the wrong way out in central Austrlaia with a van in tow? Not many it seems.
  - horsie
    
    there is one other that i can think of Subaru
  - Glenn59
    
    There is a grain of truth in what you say but it is not the whole picture.
    
    In my experience the quality of most European cars is more variable than Japanese cars. This does not mean that European cars are unnacceptably unreliable?
    
    VW is an early adopter of new technology. For example, VW was one of the first manufactureres to produce Direct Injection motors, automated manuals and self parking technology. VW incorporate state of the art engineering in their cars which gives them an advantage against the oppositon but also means they may be a more risky buy than a less advanced car like a Corolla. You pay your money and take your choice.
    
    VW have had some issues with their cars especially with DSG gearboxes but I know they have acted quickly to attempt to solve these problems. The problem with the internet is that only people with problems complain and you do not get to hear about the other 98% of owners who have no problems. Reiaiblity survey like the Australian Cannstar survey and the British JD Power actually rate VW as being above average for reliablity. I fall you want out of a car is reliable transport buy a Hyundai but the Europeans still have the advantage in car design especially in regard to Safety, styling and handling dynamics.
Luke Brinsmead

I think somehow some of the parts in my new Golf are made in China, because there is no made in Germany label, just a VW logo.
Darryl

Can redundant Aussie Ford workers apply?
- Lu
  
  If they would take $500 a month, they can try and get a working visa LOL.
  - Lynda_onda
    
    Does anyone know if a VW GOLF (2012) is assembled in China or in Germany, or where? Where do I look to find out?
    
    PS Lu, don’t apologise for your written English. It is excellent.