VW to make Seat models in south China JV plant, report says
The Volkswagen Group will produce Seat-brand vehicles in the south China plant operated by its joint venture with China FAW Group Corp., according to Chinese media.
The plant is in Nanhai in Guangdong province. It will likely build a Seat model in late 2013 at the earliest, reported the The Beijing Times, a daily newspaper.
Volkswagen, which markets the VW, Audi and Skoda brands in China, will establish a separate dealership network for Seat. But the German automaker has yet to decide which Seat models to be built in the plant.
The company displayed two Seat models, the Leon and Ibiza, at the Shanghai auto show in April this year.
VW acquired Seat in 1986. In recent years, Seat sales have stagnated, and VW is repositioning the Spanish carmaker as a sporty, affordable brand.
FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., VW's joint venture with China FAW Group Corp., received government permission in June to build the Nanhai plant. The plant will launch production in late 2013.
In addition to Seat models, the plant will produce the Audi A3 and the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, according to the Nanhai government.
