Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 28) - Construction on Shanghai Volkswagen's fourth factory in Nanjing will be completed by the end of August, auto.163.com reported today. If everything goes smoothly, the site will begin production by the end of the year.
The Santana Vista (pictured above) and new Passat (pictured below) will be among the first vehicles produced at the factory, which will have a production capability of 100,000 vehicles during its first phase. Shanghai VW has invested 1.3 billion euros ($1.88b) in the factory, which will include chassis, painting and general assembly rooms. After completion in 2012 the site will boast a production capability of 300,000 vehicles, and will have three new models rolling off its assembly lines.
Every since its introduction in April, Chinese sales of the new Passat have hit 16,600 units, with over half of those sales in June alone. Despite the high sales, the joint venture has not been able to match consumer demand, something which the new factory will go a long way in solving.
