© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: People visit the Volkswagen booth during a press day for the Auto Shanghai fair in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song
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SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s (ETR:) joint venture with China’s SAIC Motor said on Monday it had appointed Jia Jianxu, a veteran executive at the state-owned Chinese automaker, as its new CEO.
Born in 1978, Jia has more than 20 years of experience in the auto industry and was in charge of SAIC’s expansion of the European market, according to the SAIC-VW statement. Both automakers have a 50% stake in the joint venture.
Since 2018, Jia has been the general manager of Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, a SAIC-owned vehicle seat manufacturer, helping to develop its smart cabin products.
Jia’s appointment comes as Volkswagen is stepping up its electric vehicle (EV) efforts in China, with its ID series set to compete with Tesla (NASDAQ:) and Chinese players in the world’s largest EV market.
SAIC-VW sold a total of 91,761 pure 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.
