On the heels of Chrysler ’s joint venture with Chery that will see the two automakers combine efforts on vehicles that will eventually be U.S.-bound, Volkswagen has announced that its venture with Shanghai Auto will result in a vehicle for North American consumers.
According to Reuters, VW and Shanghai Auto will produce a car aimed at the global market. Shanghai Auto and VW have a relationship that dates back more than 20 years, which has helped solidify VW in the ever-growing Chinese automotive market.
Everything we can find on the Shanghai Auto plants says that the cars have attained VW-acceptable levels of quality, but Chinese auto production isn’t measured with the careful precision that customers world-wide often expect. Currently, Shanghai Auto produces a variety of VW-branded cars, including its own version of the Passat. No word yet on the details of the car that would arrive in North America.
This comes just days after rumors of VW opening a North American plant, something that seems less and less likely now by the day.
