VW Anhui: no plans to launch new electric models until 2028

According to insiders, Chinese majority-owned VW subsidiary Volkswagen Anhui will not launch any new ID. UNYX models in 2027 and 2028. The current lineup of four EVs will thus remain unchanged for the time being. The joint venture with JAC is significantly missing its sales targets.

ID. UNYX 08 with Xpeng technology

Image: VW

Volkswagen Anhui, VW’s China-based joint venture fully focused on New Energy Vehicles (NEV), apparently has no plans to introduce new electric models over the next two years. According to two sources familiar with the matter, the partnership with Chinese manufacturer JAC will not launch any new vehicles under its ID. UNYX electric car brand in 2027 and 2028. Reuters reports that a crossover model considered for 2028 has also been put on hold.

This leaves the loss-making joint venture in an unusual position: while Chinese manufacturers are introducing new electric cars and model variants at ever-shorter intervals, Volkswagen Anhui’s model range is set to remain unchanged for now. _Reuters_ reports that management had originally considered the four existing models sufficient to establish the brand among young, urban buyers and grow the business until 2028. However, demand has fallen significantly short of expectations.

Four models – three from 2026

The four existing models are the ID. UNYX 06, ID. UNYX 07, ID. UNYX 08 and ID. UNYX 09:

• The ID. UNYX 06 is a fully electric SUV coupé that was originally launched in 2024 as the ID. UNYX without an additional model number and is closely related to the Cupra Tavascan.
• The ID. UNYX 08 is positioned as a larger electric SUV, launched in April 2026, and is the first VW vehicle to use technology from partner Xpeng.
• The ID. UNYX 07 is a fully electric saloon that debuted in May 2026 and also uses Xpeng technology.
• The ID. UNYX 09 is another electric saloon that arrived in autumn 2026 and was also developed in collaboration with Xpeng.

The model range has recently undergone significant revisions. In September, Volkswagen Anhui reduced the limited-time starting price of the ID. UNYX 08 to 189,900 yuan (approx. €23,000 euros), a 17.4 per cent reduction from its original launch price. In mid-October, updated versions of the ID. UNYX 06 and ID. UNYX 07 followed. Both received additional LiDAR sensors for driver assistance functions and new battery options. At the same time, Volkswagen reduced the regular starting prices by 20,000 yuan each. The ID. UNYX 09 finally launched on 24 October with prices starting at 179,900 yuan (~€24,000).

Sales targets far exceed current levels

The gap between ambition and reality is evident in the sales figures. According to data from consulting firm ThinkerCar, Volkswagen Anhui sold a total of 11,360 ID. UNYX series vehicles from January to September. For the full year 2026, an internal document seen by Reuters indicated a production volume of 33,000 vehicles.

Nevertheless, Volkswagen Anhui is pursuing an ambitious target for next year: 128,000 sold vehicles in the UNYX series. This is also stated in the internal document from late October. Whether this target can be achieved with the current model range seems questionable given the development so far. This is particularly evident with the ID. UNYX 08: according to _ThinkerCar_, the electric SUV achieved an average of just 267 sales per month between April and August. Reuters reports that Volkswagen had originally calculated 3,622 units per month.

The relatively limited stationary retail presence also complicates sales. In October,_Reuters_ reported that Volkswagen Anhui had 166 sales outlets at that time. The company is therefore trying to expand its distribution network and is also working with selected dealers from FAW-Volkswagen. Volkswagen China told _Reuters_ that it is focusing on expanding and optimising the joint venture’s dealer network to reach more customers and achieve sustainable growth.

Plant operating well below capacity

Volkswagen Anhui was founded in 2017 together with JAC. At the end of 2020, Volkswagen increased its stake in the joint venture from 50 to 75 per cent and thus took a majority. The plant in Hefei, eastern China, has an annual production capacity of up to 350,000 vehicles but is currently operating far below this level, according to _Reuters._ In addition to the ID. UNYX models, the site also produces the Cupra Tavascan for export, which, as the first vehicle of its kind in the EU, has been subject to a minimum price rule since February 2026 instead of the usual special tariff on EV imports from China. The internal document forecasts a production volume of around 33,000 Tavascan units for this year.

To date, Volkswagen Anhui has not yet generated a profit. CFO Arno Antlitz stated during the presentation of the latest quarterly figures that the joint venture is expected to reach the break-even point by 2030. Meanwhile, the weak development in China is weighing on the entire group: from January to September, Volkswagen sold just over 1.3 million vehicles in China, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) – a 31.2 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year, as per the quarterly report. The overall Chinese market contracted by nearly 22 per cent during the same period.

Group maintains major China offensive

The apparent lack of new models at Volkswagen Anhui seems at first glance to contradict the group’s broader plans. Volkswagen had announced plans to introduce a total of 30 new NEVs in China by 2029, encompassing all three joint ventures with local manufacturers FAW, SAIC and JAC. These include pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and range extender vehicles. Volkswagen Anhui – the joint venture with JAC – is also expected to play a role. Volkswagen China told _Reuters_ that the ID. UNYX brand will remain competitive through model updates and technical enhancements.

On Wednesday, Volkswagen also reported a record for NEV deliveries for its namesake brand in China: in October, the vehicles reached more than 28,000 units, 4.5 times the previous year’s figure. However, this growth is attributed to the broader model range across the various Chinese joint ventures and cannot be applied to Volkswagen Anhui. The development there instead highlights the challenges the German manufacturer faces in establishing a relatively small and so far unsuccessful electric car brand in the highly competitive Chinese market.