German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the Volkswagen R&D center in Hefei, Anhui, during his state visit to China from October 27 to 31. This facility serves as Volkswagen's largest research and development hub outside of Germany. During his visit, the President observed the integration of German manufacturing standards with Chinese technological innovations, including AI-driven vehicle software and battery development.
Volkswagen has significantly increased its local R&D efforts in China, leveraging the country's mature supply chain, intelligent cockpit solutions, and autonomous driving expertise. These local innovations have allowed the company to reduce its vehicle development cycle by approximately 30 percent. Steinmeier personally tested the autonomous parking and driver assistance systems developed by Volkswagen's local joint venture.
Marcus Hafkemeyer, CTO of Volkswagen Group China and CEO of VCTC, stated that the company has shifted its collaboration model toward equal decision-making. Under the 'In China, for China' strategy, the focus has moved from simple assembly to joint engineering. The company plans to export research outcomes developed in China to European and German production lines.
Beyond the automotive sector, the President visited the Luogang Park in Hefei, a former airport transformed into an ecological 'sponge city' project through Sino-German cooperation. This visit highlights the ongoing industrial and technological collaboration between the two nations, despite current trade tensions in Europe.
