Shanghai (ZXZC)- FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. ("FAW-VW") recently commenced trial production of its new model at the plant in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area ("TEDA"), according to a post on TEDA's WeChat account. The new vehicle is expected to enter official volume production in the second half of this year.

Photo credit: video screenshot from Tianjin News

The production line for the new model, upgraded with an investment of 2 billion yuan by FAW-VW, was completed earlier this year. After the trial production phase, the new vehicle will undergo a series of tests under various weather conditions to validate the quality and performance of its components, including seats, lights, and driver assistance systems.

To support the production of the new model, FAW-VW's Tianjin branch has brought in over 40 automotive suppliers from across the country, enhancing the entire supply chain. Five of these suppliers have already established operations in Tianjin.

In May of this year, the TEDA Administrative Committee and FAW-VW signed an investment cooperation agreement for the introduction of three new vehicle models. According to the agreement, FAW-VW will invest over 2.3 billion yuan to introduce three SUV models, including Audi and Volkswagen brands, at the Tianjin factory.

Two of the three new models are new energy vehicles (NEVs) targeted at the mid-to-high-end market. Once fully operational, these models are expected to significantly increase the proportion of NEVs in Tianjin's automotive industry. This move will strengthen and expand the NEV supply chain in Tianjin, providing robust support for the city's high-quality development of NEVs and intelligent connected vehicles. Additionally, the launch of these three models is projected to boost the output value of Tianjin's auto parts industry by nearly 10 billion yuan.