Volkswagen ID.6 | VW considers building the electric SUV for the European market in China ↺
In the tech industry, it is common practice to entirely outsource production to China. Therefore it is no secret that American companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft manufacture most of their devices in the People's Republic. But even in the quickly-changing automobile industry, which is continuously shifting its focus towards electric vehicles, such considerations are more and more common. According to an article by a German news outlet, the by volume second largest automaker in the world Volkswagen now contemplates to import up to 15,000 units of the VW ID.6 electric SUV from China to Europe.
These controversial plans emerge while Volkswagen's main factory in Germany is not even running at full capacity due to the worldwide microchip shortage. The production of the Volkswagen ID.6 in China would simply save money, but it could also cost some VW employees in Germany their jobs, which is why these plans will most likely be met with harsh criticism. Among other factors, the competitive pressure applied by the big American electric car rival Tesla could ultimately play a considerable role in Volkswagen's decision.
Even though Tesla recently made headlines with its soaring stock and new gigantic factories in Germany and Texas, the electric vehicle pioneer led by eccentric CEO Elon Musk produces many vehicles, like the Tesla Model 3 for example, in China and then ships and sells them around the world. Since the Volkswagen ID.6 electric SUV is currently only available and manufactured in China anyways, the decision to simply produce European models in China and then export them to Europe may be economically reasonable, but from a moral perspective the German company could be scrutinized for such a decision.
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Source(s)
ntv, Image: Volkswagen