CHINA - Volkswagen celebrates opening a new production facility in China.

• Annual capacity: 300,000 Volkswagen and ŠKODA vehicles
• Highest state certificate for CO₂-neutral production with solar and hydroelectric power

The Volkswagen Group continues to expand its production capacity in China with the addition of a new vehicle plant of Shanghai- Volkswagen (SVW) in Changsha, southern China, which was inaugurated on Sunday by Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft and President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China. 

This plant is the Group’s 119th global facility and its 20th in China.

“China is not only the Volkswagen Group’s largest and most important market; it has also become the Group’s second home market. We intend to develop the entire country as a company with local roots, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann emphasized.

“The plant in Changsha is a key step in our “Go South” strategy in China. This new facility will bring us nearer to our Chinese customers and also improve the quality of our supply chain.“

The new plant in Changsha is about 900km to the west of Shanghai. Production of the Volkswagen New Lavida is beginning there after only two years of construction. Other models of the Volkswagen and ŠKODA brands are to follow. The total capacity of the plant is about 300,000 vehicles per year. The plant is creating more than 4,000 new jobs, together with 4,000 more in the neighbouring supplier park.

The Changsha plant is the first production facility of the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture to receive the “Triple-Star Green Building Design Award”, the highest state award for environmentally compatible factory design. 

Thanks to a dry painting system (“E-scrub”), water and energy consumption will be reduced by more than 20 per cent. Excess paint particles are filtered out in an environmentally compatible way by an electrostatic precipitator system. 

In addition, fresh water consumption in production hasbeen reduced by 20 per cent compared with conventional processes by using rainwater and recycled production water. Solar facilities at the plant generate more than 10,000 MWh of environmentally compatible power. Further power is generated by local hydroelectric plants. Production at the Changsha vehicle plant will therefore be carbon-neutral.

Volkswagen has been at home on the Chinese market for more than 20 years and is among the country’s western automobile pioneers. In 2014, Volkswagen, together with its two joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen and Shanghai-Volkswagen, delivered a total of about 3.7 million vehicles to customers in China, representing an increase of 12.4 per cent over the previous year. With its partners, the Volkswagen Group will be investing more than €22 billion in China by 2019.

UK SALES - MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE - The best sales year ever for the supercar maker, with more to come.

• More than 1,600 vehicles delivered, including 248 examples of the McLaren P1™, marking the company’s strongest year-to-date
• Asia-Pacific region achieves growth of 80 per cent
• 14 new retailers opened bringing the global network to 68, across 30 markets

McLaren Automotive ended 2014 with record sales as it has done every year since the company began production of luxury supercars in 2010.  A total of 1,648 vehicles were delivered to customers around the world, an increase of 21 per cent over 2013 which was the company’s first year of profitability. In addition another 14 new retail locations were added bringing McLaren’s total global sales network to 68 sites. 

Following the international reveal of the 650S in Coupé and Spider form at the Geneva Motor Show where the two models were launched simultaneously, strong demand for McLaren’s core model range saw sales reach 1,400 units including some examples of the outgoing 12C.  In addition, 248 examples of the 916PS petrol-electric McLaren P1™ were delivered to customers – around two thirds of the car’s total 375 unit production run.

McLaren’s network of retailers grew to cover 30 markets with the additions of Chile, Scotland and Thailand.  New sales outlets were also opened in existing markets, most notably Calabasas, Cape Town, Changsha, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Melbourne, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Tianjin. More development is planned in 2015.  

   

Growth was recorded across all four of McLaren’s regional business units.  The Asia-Pacific region saw the biggest rise with sales increasing by 80 per cent over 2013 with 11 new retail locations across the region helping to fuel this growth. The North American market remained McLaren’s largest market accounting for more than 30 per cent of overall sales, while sales in both Europe and the Middle East grew year-on-year by 10 per cent and nine per cent respectively.

McLaren Automotive continues to invest significantly in research and development for new models. 2015 will see the launch of the McLaren’s most attainable model yet, the new Sports Series which will debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.  At the top of its range, the strictly limited edition track-only McLaren P1™ GTR will also enter production after the final road-going McLaren P1™ has been built.

Commenting on the 2014 year end performance, Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive explained: ‘These latest results highlight that McLaren Automotive continues to push boundaries and set records year-on-year, and are testament to the energy and professionalism of the teams in Woking and around the world, including our retail partners. The past 12 months have seen the launch of the 650S in both coupé and Spider form, and the first full year of McLaren P1™ production, and sees the third consecutive year of growth for the brand which is a fantastic achievement.

‘Since the opening of the first retailer in June 2011, McLaren has established a world-class network of retailers, with 14 key locations added in 2014, all of which continue to set benchmarks in the industry the world over. Add to this a range of groundbreaking models, shortly to be completed with the launch of the Sports Series later this year, and 2015 looks set to be another strong year for McLaren.’