Volkswagen is planning to take Tesla's model X in China
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The Volkswagen T-Cross model stands on a lifting platform in a car tower on the Volkswagen factory premises.
Volkswagen is planning to build a full electric sports car (SUV) for China from 2021, and takes on the Chinese market leader Tesla Model X which the German automaker manages to produce zero-vehicle vehicles.
The planned new SUV is the latest feature of Volkswagen's aggressive growth strategy in China, where electric cars receive preferential treatment by the government.
VW said that ID ROOMZZ, as it presented in Shanghai on Sunday, will have three rows of seats and an operating range of up to 450 km. The concept car is capable of "autonomous driving" on level 4, says VW.
Herbert Diess, CEO of VW, said that ID ROOMZ will be the flagship to be launched by Volkswagen in China.
"We're planning to produce more than 22 million electric cars over the next 10 years," says Diess, adding that about half of VW's engineers worked on products destined for China.
Diess said ID ROOMZ would be rolled out to other markets 19659006] To strengthen the VW Group's research and development potential, Volkswagen and its premium brand Audi will combine their R&D operations in China.
VW Brand's Head of E-Mobility Thomas Ulbrich said the automaker will begin to ramp up the production of 33 electric cars in mid-2023, using the VW Group's modular electric car (MEB) platform to build electric cars for Skoda, Seat, Audi and VW.
Ulbrich said the VW Group converts 16 factories worldwide to enable mass production of electric vehicles, as eight plants will make the VW-branded car.
