SHANGHAI – Volkswagen Group’s joint venture with China’s SAIC Motor has appointed Jia Jianxu, a veteran executive at the state-owned Chinese automaker, as its new general manager.
Jia has more than 20 years of experience in the auto industry and was in charge of SAIC’s European market expansion, according to SAIC-VW’s statement.
Both automakers have a 50 percent share in the joint venture.
Since 2018, Jia has been the general manager at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, a SAIC-owned vehicle seat maker, and helped develop its intelligent cockpit products.
Jia’s appointment comes as VW is ramping up its efforts in electric vehicles in China, with its ID electric lineup aimed at competing with Tesla and Chinese rivals such as BYD in the world’s largest EV market.
The JV sold a total of 91,761 full-electric and plug-in hybrid cars in 2022, while China’s BYD sold nearly 1.8 million units and Tesla 439,770 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.