Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said the company is planning “big strides” in China.
The world’s second largest automaker is strengthening operations in its largest market to keep pace with fast-growing Chinese automakers and rapidly changing customer preferences.
“We will make some major investments in China,” Diess said in a statement interview posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday† “In a few years we’ll have several thousand software people in China.”
During the interview with Chang Qing, the CEO of CARIAD China, Volkswagen’s in-house automotive software arm, Diess emphasized Volkswagen’s need to keep up with the Chinese market and invest in its local operations.
Increasing its presence in China will allow Volkswagen to respond quickly to changes in the local market, especially in two critical areas: autonomous driving technology and the in-car user experience, “which is really different and advanced in China,” Diess said. .
He cited consumer demand for audio systems designed for karaoke, “an internal camera to take pictures” and streaming capabilities.
“A few years ago we came to the conclusion that developing this in Europe for China is not going to work,” says Diess. “That’s where we have to do it.”
