The SAIC Volkswagen's new electric-only MEB plant recently completed construction in Anting town, Jiading district, Shanghai.

A ceremony for the first ID Chujian, an electric SUV, the first production model in China, was held on Nov 8.

The plant, with a total investment of 17 billion yuan ($2.43 billion) and a planned annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles, will be officially put into operation in October 2020, making it the largest and most efficient purely electric vehicle factory in China.

The factory integrates intelligent manufacturing, energy saving and environmental protection, employs more than 1,400 industrial robots, and applies advanced manufacturing technology to realize the intelligentization and digitalization of the entire manufacturing process, said Fu Lin, director of the MEB plant.

Volkswagen wants to become the dominant player in China's new energy sector as it has for gas-powered vehicles.

According to Stephan Woellenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, Volkswagen will localize 10 purely electric models of its ID family in China by 2023 with the help of its two joint ventures – FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen – and it will produce 10 new energy versions of models in its current portfolio by 2020.

SAIC Motor Chairman Chen Hong said that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of SAIC Volkswagen.

SAIC will continue to deepen cooperation with Volkswagen in electrification, intelligent networking and high-end brand-building, and jointly promote SAIC Volkswagen to improve its competitiveness, said Chen.

Official statistics show that the output value of Jiading's auto industry reached 440.59 billion yuan last year, accounting for 64.5 percent of the output value of Shanghai's auto industry.

The output value of Jiading's new energy and intelligent vehicles reached 11.14 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 19.8 percent.

SAIC Volkswagen hosts a ceremony for the first ID. Chujian, an electric SUV, which is the first production model for China, on Nov 8. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

SAIC Volkswagen's electric-only MEB plant, which recently completed construction in Anting town, Jiading district, Shanghai [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

The plant has a full set of automated production equipment. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]