- First-phase production capacity of 300,000 engines
- Plant in North East China is Group’s 101st location worldwide
- Factory meets highest quality and environmental standards
- Engine production for Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi models
Volkswagen today commissioned the first of seven new plants in China. Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft and President of Volkswagen Group China, was joined by Xu Jianyi, FAW Group Chairman, and Xu Xianping, FAW Group General Manager, to inaugurate the engine plant in Changchun.
Heizmann underscored: “The new engine plant in Changchun will supply our vehicles in China with advanced and highly-efficient engines manufactured locally. Today’s production start is therefore a milestone on the way to making Volkswagen the most eco-friendly automaker in China. At the same time, the Volkswagen Group’s 101st plant underscores our global growth trajectory.”
The Volkswagen FAW Engine (Dalian) Co., Ltd. plant will produce the latest generation of EA888 engines. The factory has four dedicated manufacturing lines for cylinder bodies and cylinder heads as well as crankshafts and camshafts. The site also operates two final assembly lines for cylinder heads and engines. The Changchun plant has the first flexible production line in China for manufacturing the 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter versions of the EA888 engines. The EA888 Gen 3 engine is the first engine built in China to comply with the Euro VI emission standard. It delivers substantial improvements in weight reduction, fuel economy, performance and emissions. FAW-Volkswagen will be installing the engines in Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi models.
The Changchun plant of Volkswagen FAW Engine is an important powertrain production base for the Volkswagen Group and is located in the immediate vicinity of the existing vehicle plant. The engine plant covers a total area of approx. 94,000 m2 and annual production capacity in the first phase will be 300,000 units of the EA 888 engine. From mid-2014, capacity will increase to 450,000 units under the second production phase.
FAW-Volkswagen builds Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi brand models for the Chinese market. In 1988, the Volkswagen Group agreed to cooperate with FAW-Volkswagen in Changchun for the production of the Audi 100 under license; this cooperation was a milestone in the introduction of the latest industrial standards to Chinese automobile production. Today, the Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, New Bora, Sagitar, Magotan and Magotan CC, and the Audi A4, Q3, Q5 and A6 are produced in Changchun. In June 2012, FAW-Volkswagen celebrated the production of its six millionth vehicle. A components plant for axles is also located in Changchun.
The Volkswagen Group is building seven new plants in China by 2018. By then, the number of employees will have increased from 75,000 to 100,000 and annual production capacity will have risen from 2.6 million to over four million.
