Starting in 2026, the Volkswagen and Jetta brands of FAW-Volkswagen want to offer eleven new models tailored to the Chinese market in several market segments. The list includes six pure electric models, two PHEV and two EREV models.
Volkswagen and First Automotive Works made the model announcement in Wolfsburg when representatives of the two companies signed contracts to extend their strategic cooperation. According to the Chinese definition, ten of the eleven premieres announced are ‘New Energy Vehicles’ (NEV) with (partially) electrified drive systems – just one of the eleven models will only have a conventional combustion engine. However, five of the eleven series will still have a small combustion engine on board.
That is not surprising, as plug-in hybrids outperformed battery-electric cars in terms of growth in China last year. What is surprising, however, is the announcement of two EREV models, or ‘Extended Range Electric Vehicles.’ These vehicles (unlike plug-in hybrids) are always powered purely by electricity, but in addition to the battery, they have a small combustion engine on board that acts as a generator. When the battery is empty, the petrol engine can be used to generate electricity and thus to power the car.
Although the current VW management, led by Group CEO Oliver Blume and VW Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer, recently spoke rather positively about electric cars with range extenders, that was not always the case. In its article on the announcement, the Chinese CN EV Post quotes former Volkswagen China CEO Stephan Wöllenstein as saying in 2020 that, while EREV may have some value from the perspective of an individual vehicle, from the perspective of the entire country and the planet, they are “nonsense and the worst solution.”
Since then, EREVs have developed into a significant market segment in China, driven by the startup Li Auto, which specialises in such vehicles. Details of the EREV models that FAW-VW plans to launch are not yet known. The joint venture only announced that the vehicles would be in the mid-size segment.
The BEV and PHEV models, on the other hand, will be based on the China Main Platform (CMP) that Volkswagen developed for the Chinese market. Vehicles on this platform will use the new CEA (China Electronic Architecture), designed to enable not only modern digital services but also advanced driver assistance systems. These new models are a concrete expression of Volkswagen’s ‘In China, for China’ strategy, FAW-VW announced.
In China, the Jetta is no longer the Golf-sized saloon sold in Europe in the past. It is a VW brand for China that was established in 2019 and is geared towards affordable vehicles that are visually distinct from the VW models – but so far without electric drives. FAW is VW’s second-largest joint venture partner in China, alongside SAIC, and currently sells slightly modified versions of MEB models such as the ID.4 Crozz or the electric SUV ID.6 Crozz developed for China.
The first of the new models will be presented at the upcoming motor show in Shanghai. This year’s Auto Shanghai will take place from 23 April to 2 May.
