VW Targets 4% Sales Growth in China This Year

Volkswagen AG predicts its sales in China this year will rise 4% to about 4.35 million units.

Jochem Heizmann, who heads Volkswagen Group China, tells reporters in Beijing, that demand will start slow but build through the year. He says VW sales will be driven by the introduction of new SUV/crossover models.

Heizmann notes that China, like other major markets, is moving strongly toward a 50:50 mix between cars and crossovers. He adds that VW aims to sell 400,000 “new-energy” vehicles—hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric—by 2020 and 1.5 million by 2025.​​​​