Volkswagen Still Has Big Plans For The Sedan

The news comes as China recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the widespread shutting down of automotive production facilities. Now, however, Volkswagen says that most of its China-based plants are back up and running, with the remainder of 2020 being an opportunity for the German marque to build upon its growing market share in the Asian country.

Leading the way was the Lavida sedan, a SAIC-Volkswagen product in its third generation. Last year alone, 491,000 units of the Lavida found homes in China, which makes it “the best-selling model of all manufacturers in 2019.” FAW-Volkswagen is the German brand’s other joint venture in China, and among its successes is the Bora sedan which moved 323,400 units last year. Like the Lavida, an electric version of this sedan is also sold in this market.

The Jetta name lives on in the new Jetta sub-brand launched in China last year. The Jetta VA3 sold 145,000 units last year, although it is a much smaller model than the Jetta sold here, using only a 110-horsepower 1.5-liter engine.