Is Shanghai Volkswagen a Domestic Car?
2 Answers
Volkswagen is not a domestic car; it is a German brand. Here is some knowledge about Volkswagen AG and the Volkswagen brand: Volkswagen AG: Volkswagen (German: Volkswagen) is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, and is the core enterprise of the Volkswagen Group, one of the world's four largest automobile manufacturers. Volkswagen Brand: The Volkswagen brand is divided into three types: FAW-Volkswagen, Shanghai Volkswagen, and Volkswagen Germany. Among them, FAW-Volkswagen is a joint venture between Changchun FAW and Volkswagen Germany. Shanghai Volkswagen is a joint venture between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Volkswagen Germany. Therefore, both Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen are jointly produced cars, while Volkswagen Germany, being produced in Germany, is an imported car.
I've driven several SAIC Volkswagen models like the Lavida and Passat, and I've been quite satisfied with them. When chatting about cars with friends, they often ask if these are domestic vehicles, and I always say of course they are. The cars are manufactured in Shanghai factories, with engineers and workers mostly being locals, and the parts supply chain is also domestic - just like purely homegrown brands such as Geely and Changan. Although Volkswagen is a German brand, after the joint venture, vehicles produced in China fall into the category of domestic cars. I believe when buying a car, one shouldn't just focus on brand origin; what's more important are the production location and local services - with service centers everywhere and affordable, readily available parts. Many joint venture brands operate this way now, like FAW Toyota following the same domestic production model. In short, from a practical standpoint, SAIC Volkswagen fully qualifies as a reliable domestic car - worry-free to drive and cost-effective.
