FAW VW to build new Jetta car in Chengdu

Shanghai, May 15 (Gasgoo.com) FAW and Volkswagen recently broke ground for their sedan plant in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. The first phase of the project, with 5 billion yuan ($732 mln) invested, will have an annual output of 150,000 cars, said sina.com today. The new Jetta will be built at the facility in 2012.

Sources said that the Jetta will be the first model to roll off the assembly line at the new sedan plant. Meanwhile, the new facility will also produce a compact car model codenamed NCS ("New Compact Sedan"), as the next generation model of Sagitar.

This NCS model will go to the market in 2010, scheduled to sell 9,960 units in the first year and 88,075 units a year by 2015.

In addition, FAW-VW has plans to scale down annually the output of Jetta and finally cease its production by the end of 2012, when the revamped Jetta model NF will replace the current Jetta model for assembly at the joint venture's new plant in Chengdu.

The Chengdu project is part of FAW and VW's joint efforts to support the reconstruction of the earthquake-hit Sichuan province and the government-urged economic development of western China.