Is the Rebadged Jetta a Domestic or Joint Venture Car?
3 Answers
Rebadged Jetta is still a joint venture car, jointly managed by Volkswagen Germany and FAW-Volkswagen. After the rebranding, Jetta remains a subsidiary of FAW-Volkswagen, but it has become a new brand operating independently and no longer carries the Volkswagen logo. Below is some relevant information about Jetta: Volkswagen's sub-brand Jetta currently offers three models, with the first one launched being the Jetta VS5. The Jetta VS5 is built on the MQB platform and is positioned as a compact SUV; the Jetta VS3 is positioned as the first compact sedan; and the Jetta VS7 is positioned as a midsize SUV.
Actually, the rebadged Jetta is strictly speaking a Sino-foreign joint venture domestic vehicle. This statement needs to be explained through Jetta's history: The original Jetta was a joint venture model between Volkswagen and FAW in Changchun, produced at the Changchun plant. Later in 2019, Volkswagen spun off Jetta as an independent brand. Although it adopted a new logo, it still fundamentally uses Volkswagen's automotive technology. The car's three major components (engine, transmission, chassis) are sourced from Volkswagen, the production line remains at FAW-Volkswagen's Changchun factory, and the engineering team involves collaborative R&D between Chinese and German experts. So despite the logo change, from brand background, production ownership to core technology, it carries Sino-German joint venture DNA. Essentially, it's a joint venture domestic car with a new badge - Volkswagen simply wanted to use a new brand to target more budget-conscious markets.
This issue needs to be examined from two perspectives: domestically produced refers to vehicles entirely manufactured within China, while joint venture refers to technology and brand ownership shared between Chinese and foreign parties. The rebranded Jetta falls under FAW-Volkswagen, with vehicle design and R&D led by Volkswagen Germany, and production taking place at FAW-Volkswagen's Changchun plant. Core components such as the EA211 engine and MQB platform are shared with Volkswagen, even the warranty system is common. Therefore, it is both a domestic car (manufactured in China) and a joint venture car (technology source + joint venture brand nature). Similar cases include BMW's Zinoro and Honda's Everus, which are essentially localized strategic products of joint ventures.
