Volkswagen Group China and Chinese automotive manufacturer JAC have signed a partnership with Chinese officials for the future development of smart city mobility solutions in the city of Hefei in the Anhui province of China.
The initiative will provide Volkswagen with a proving ground to test new technologies, business models and products in a connected smart city environment. The focus of the partnership is the development of autonomous driving.
Volkswagen Group China, its subsidiary Mobility Asia, and JAC will pool their resources and collaborate on autonomous mobility services, including self-driving vehicles (robotaxis) and autonomous fleet management. In addition, the smart city partnership includes areas such as ride hailing and carsharing.
Dr Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO, Volkswagen Group China, said, “Volkswagen Group China is already exciting millions of Chinese customers with a wide range of vehicles. With this cooperation, we demonstrate that we are working hard to take a leading role in the field of smart mobility solutions in the Chinese market as well.”
Around eight million people live in the city of Hefei, which aims to become a state-of-the-art smart city with the help of the partnership.