[German Union Calls for Cautious Approach to Allowing Chinese Automakers to Use Idle Volkswagen Factories] A spokesperson for IG Metall, Germany's powerful metalworkers' union, told Reuters that the union was not opposed to Volkswagen opening its underutilized factories to Chinese automakers, but believed that such cooperation must be evaluated with extreme caution.

According to SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC Volkswagen and CAR Inc. recently signed an annual procurement framework agreement and simultaneously completed the delivery of the first batch of vehicles. The car models covered in this signing and delivery included the Volkswagen Lavida Fresh, Passat, Tharu Fresh, Teramont Pro, and Audi E5 Sportback.

Volkswagen's CFO, commenting on Middle East volatility, stated that raw material costs were well hedged, but second-wave impacts on demand and costs could not be ruled out.

The CEO of Volkswagen Group stated that the production network must be adjusted to adapt to market realities, with a target annual capacity of 9 million units.

Shanghai Unison Aluminum Co., Ltd. disclosed in its 2025 annual report that, in terms of Chinese market expansion, the company established strategic partnerships with high-end quality clients such as Xiaomi Auto, AITO, CATL, NIO, XPeng Motors, and BYD. In terms of international market development, the company successfully entered the supply chain systems of internationally renowned producers such as Tesla, Volvo, Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Audi, and had achieved volume supply to some clients, laying a solid foundation for continuously increasing its market share in markets outside China. As of the end of the reporting period, the company's cumulative orders on hand from awarded projects totaled approximately 33.867 billion yuan, of which ex-China business accounted for 29.30%.

The chairman of XPeng Group revealed that the company is in talks with automakers outside China over potential collaboration. XPeng hopes to commercialize its driving assistance technology globally and expand production outside China. XPeng Chairman He Xiaopeng said in a media interview in Beijing on Thursday that he plans to meet with Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume on Friday, and that the collaboration between the two automakers over the past three years has been "going well."

On April 21 (local time), the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) released its “Automotive Innovation Report 2026”. Chinese automaker BYD ranked first in the global automotive innovation ranking with 157 points, surpassing last year’s leader Volkswagen (143 points). Mercedes-Benz came in third with 134 points. XPeng ranked fourth with 128 points, followed by BMW and Geely Group in fifth and sixth places. Renault, Toyota, General Motors, and Hyundai also made the top ten. This marks the first time since the launch of the “Automotive Innovation Study” in 2005 that a Chinese automaker has taken the top position. According to CAM, the ranking evaluates automakers based on their performance in electrification, intelligent technologies, and overall innovation capabilities.

Recently, CATL's battery pack laboratory officially received prestigious certification from the Volkswagen Group, becoming the first power battery company in the world to obtain Volkswagen's full-chain laboratory qualification recognition for cells, modules, and battery packs. At the certification ceremony, Dr. Uwe Westerhoff, Head of Certification at Volkswagen Group's Battery Testing Center, and Dr. Su Yuzhuan, Head of CATL's Testing and Validation Center, attended the event together with their core teams.

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[SMM Express] According to XPeng Motors, on March 13, the first car model jointly developed by Volkswagen and XPeng Motors—Yuzhong 08—officially rolled off the mass production line at Volkswagen Anhui in Hefei. It took the two parties only 24 months from signing the joint development technical cooperation agreement to mass production rollout. In 2023, Volkswagen Group and XPeng Motors reached a long-term strategic partnership, focusing on product development and technological innovation and jointly developing two pure EV models. The mass production rollout of the first jointly developed car model marked the delivery of tangible results from the technical cooperation between the two sides. Following Yuzhong 08, the second model jointly developed by the two parties will also be launched this year.