Shanghai (ZXZC)- FAW-Volkswagen North China base was officially put into operation on August 30 in Tianjin as part of efforts to strengthen the SUV offensive in China for Volkswagen Group.

The first phase of the new base, involving an investment of around RMB 13 billion, has a designed capacity of 300,000 vehicles on an annual basis. It will focus on manufacturing the compact or medium-sized SUVs for the Volkswagen brand and Audi brand. Besides, part of capacity will be saved for the producing plug-in hybrid vehicles and all-electric vehicles.

FAW-Volkswagen has completed 4 new plants during the past several months. Currently, it has possessed a total of 6 plants in 5 cities, namely, Changchun (Northeast China base), Chengdu (Southwest China base), Foshan (South China base), Qingdao (East China base) and Tianjin (North China base).

It only took 23 months for the automaker to complete the North China base from May, 2016. Covering an area of 1.0809 million square meters, the newly-built plant has stamping, welding, painting and assembly workshops as well as relevant supporting facilities, which will satisfy the mixed-line production for various models under the Volkswagen and Audi brands.

Reportedly, the completion of the North China base will directly fuel employment for nearly 3,500 residents and attract over 1,500 suppliers. In addition, the new plant's operation will simultaneously promote the development of neighboring industries and add up to 20,000 jobs in the future.