An ID.UNYX 08, the first model co-developed by Volkswagen Group China and XPENG, rolls off the production line in Hehei, East China's Anhui Province. Photo: Volkswagen Group

The Volkswagen brand's new-energy vehicle (NEV) deliveries in China surged 346.9 percent year-on-year to a record high of more than 28,000 in October, the German carmaker said on Wednesday. Industry data showed that Chinese buyers purchased more than 1.1 million NEV passenger vehicles during the month, accounting for a record 67.5 percent of nationwide passenger vehicle retail sales.

Volkswagen Group China said its October NEV deliveries across its brands exceeded 31,000, up nearly 250 percent year-on-year. The Volkswagen brand has launched 11 of the 13 NEV models it plans to introduce in China this year. The ID. AURA T6 and ID. ERA 5S accounted for the bulk of the brand's October volume, with deliveries of more than 12,000 and 7,100 units, respectively.

BYD led domestic NEV passenger vehicle retail sales in October with 250,301 units, followed by Geely with 131,708, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Leapmotor sold 83,573 units and Xiaomi Auto sold 50,123. NEVs accounted for 84.8 percent of domestic retail sales by Chinese brands and 19.7 percent for mainstream joint-venture brands.

NEV passenger vehicle retail sales rose 2.3 percent from September, and their share of the passenger vehicle market was 10.5 percentage points higher than a year earlier. On a year-on-year basis, NEV retail sales fell 13.7 percent, while overall passenger vehicle retail sales fell 27.1 percent to 1.643 million units, the CPCA said.

Exports supported the wider auto industry. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Wednesday that vehicle exports climbed 60.2 percent year-on-year to 1.066 million in October. Total NEV sales, including exports, rose 13.1 percent to 1.94 million.

The ID. AURA T6 was also the model that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier tried during his October 27 visit to Volkswagen's technology center in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province. The president toured software and hardware testing labs at the site. 

"He also test-drove a Volkswagen ID. AURA T6 equipped with the locally developed CEA and Hyper Sense 8 advanced driver assistance system," the company told the Global Times. CEA is Volkswagen's China Electronic Architecture.

Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor in the engineering department of Zhengzhou-based Huanghe Science and Technology University, told the Global Times during the visit that China-Germany auto cooperation was moving from manufacturing into joint research and development. He said working with Chinese technology partners could help German carmakers improve driver assistance and connectivity and strengthen their competitiveness in China.

Global Times