SAIC Motor expressed disappointment over comments Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess made last week on the possibility of increasing the German automaker's shares in its China-based joint ventures.
It is "regrettable" that VW unilaterally commented on important matters regarding shares in its joint ventures in China without consulting local partners, SAIC said in a statement on Monday.
SAIC has a joint venture with VW in China, SAIC Volkswagen, that produces cars for the Volkswagen and Skoda brands. The 50-50 partnership was established in 1985.
The Chinese government, under pressure to accelerate market reforms, pledged in June 2018 to phase out by 2022 the 50-percent cap on foreign automakers' interest in joint ventures formed with local companies.
Last year, BMW became the first global automaker to embrace the policy change, gaining control of its partnership with Brilliance China Automotive by lifting its interest in Brilliance BMW to 75 percent from 50 percent.
Diess, asked whether VW would also raise its interest in China-based joint ventures, said at a news briefing at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, on March 12 that the company is evaluating the possibility, according to Chinese newspapers present at the briefing, such as the Economic Daily and Beijing News.
Diess also told Chinese journalists that he hopes VW and its Chinese partners can finalize and disclose how to adjust stakes in their partnerships in the second half of 2019 or early 2020.
CONTENT FROM TÜV RHEINLAND
Artificial intelligence: Alex, get the car!
From the diary of an artificial intelligence: How autonomous driving will shape our everyday lives in the future.
READ MORE
Besides its venture with SAIC, VW also has joint ventures in China with FAW, a 60-40 cooperation that builds vehicles for the Volkswagen and Audi brands and JAC Volkswagen, a 50-50 electric-vehicle partnership formed in 2017 between Jianghuai Automobile and VW, that has yet to launch sales.
In 2018, VW delivered 4.21 million vehicles under its various brands in China, edging up 0.5 percent from a year earlier.
Uno dei motivi della (brutale) sostituzione di Müller con Diess nel 2018 risiedeva nel fatto che le famiglie Porsche-Piech volevano un manager molto più risoluto e rapido.
Sicuramente Diess è un fulmine rispetto a Müller però entro pochi mesi dovrà risolvere problemi enormi. Giusto per citare i più urgenti:
1) Disputa con VDA sul sostegno pubblico ai veicoli elettrici
2) piano di ristrutturazione di Audi da presentare il 23 maggio
3) licenziamento di 7.000 amministrativi al marchio Vw
4) problema delle tariffe riguardo Brexit e Nord America
5) distacco e ristrutturazione della divisione componenti.
6)rilancio del Nord America
7) quotazione in borsa di Man e Scania
alleanza con Ford
9) riorganizzazione-vendita di alcuni marchi (Ducati e Man Energy solutions)
10)dulcis in fundo Diess vuole aumentare le quote di Vw nelle Joint venture cinesi. In tal modo l’ utile di Vw nel 2018 sarebbe stato di 22 miliardi invece dei 17 ma Faw ha chiesto ben 15 miliardi per il 10%.
Di fronte alla domanda di un suo possibile esaurimento nervoso Diess ha risposto beffardamente che alla giovane età di 60 anni ha scoperto il kite surfing e che lo pratica almeno 4 volte al mese. Chissà se un giorno leggeremo “presidente di Vw muore schiantandosi su una roccia mentre praticava kite surfing”