Volkswagen is to set up an academy in Hainan province with the aim of training local talent for the electric vehicle industry as it vies to push further into the crowded sector.
\nThe German car giant will work with local authorities to establish the Volkswagen Academy China Hainan Centre in Haikou city, the capital of the country\u2019s southernmost island.
\nIt said it will collaborate on the development of new-energy and intelligence-connected vehicles (ICV). It signed an agreement on Monday with the Haikou government, the Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and other partners.
\nThe new academy will be the second such facility established by Volkswagen in China this year. It launched one in Hefei city in Anhui province in February as part of an academy programme that goes back more than a decade.<\/p>\n
The move accelerates Volkswagen\u2019s \u20ac15 billion (US$16.34 billion) electrification plan in the world\u2019s largest car market.<\/p>\n
It comes as the traditional carmaker is vying for a bigger slice of China\u2019s booming new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. There is a growing need for higher-level talent as the nation aims for 20 per cent of its domestic vehicles to be battery-powered in two years\u2019 time.
\nThe academy \u201cwill boost the group\u2019s electrification transformation in China [and will] develop new talent within the industry,\u201d said Stefan Mecha, chief executive of Volkswagen\u2019s passenger cars brand in China and head of group sales of Volkswagen Group China.
\nThe company \u201cwill expand its \u2018in China, for China\u2019 strategy with a commitment to meeting the needs of the Chinese consumer, further developing China\u2019s automotive industry, and making a positive social impact in the country,\u201d he said.
\nVolkswagen, the best selling car brand in mainland China, said it will set up a training system that keeps abreast of the latest industry trends, offering courses on NEV technologies for teachers and professors as well as students.
\nTutors will learn new teaching methodologies, while students will have access to academic seminars, corporate culture exchange programs and career guidance. The company will also establish a certification mechanism in line with industry standards within the centre.
\nVolkswagen plans to invest \u20ac15 billion in e-mobility in China by 2024, as it tries to hold on to its top position in the country amid fierce competition from home-grown NEV players such as Li Auto and Xpeng.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lack of talent in China for the electric vehicle industry, the industry has not paid enough attention to it and local education and training hasn\u2019t caught up [with the fast development of the sector],\u201d said Zhang Xiang, a dean at the Jiangxi New Energy Technology Institute. \u201cVolkswagen\u2019s move is filling a gap in the market.\u201d
\nTraining services can be very profitable if done well, with higher margins than those in car making, Zhang said. \u201cHainan\u2019s favourable policies for foreign investors in land prices and taxation are beneficial, and likely to boost the margin.\u201d
\nHainan, a tropical island and popular tourist destination, aims to end the sale of petrol vehicles by 2030, in line with Beijing\u2019s climate goals of peak carbon emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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