From “car madman” to “combined masters”.

Editor’s note: This article comes from “ Future Car Daily ” (WeChat public account ID: auto-time), author: Zhang.

Author | Zhang Yi

While the Volkswagen Group ’s comprehensive betting strategy is continuously accelerating, the Chinese market is welcoming the most watched moment in Volkswagen Group history.

In mid-November 2019, the Volkswagen Group announced that it will invest 60 billion euros in the next five years to transform future areas such as hybrid power, electrification and digitalization. However, it is easy for the outside world to overlook that in China, the home of global electric vehicles, this change quietly began at least two years ago within Volkswagen China.

In 2017, as the world ’s only Chinese executive vice president of the Volkswagen Group, Su Weiming selected a “1% elite team” from within the group, and founded Mobility Asia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen. Su Weiming is also the CEO, exploring a series of new businesses including connected cars, smart mobility, infrastructure, smart driving, and big data applications.

Facing a brand-new business group with few reference standards and references, how to break through the barriers of the traditional automotive and Internet technology industries and provide seamlessly connected services for travel consumers? From the dual identity switch of professional managers to internal entrepreneurs, and the cross-border transition from traditional car sales to smart travel services, can Su Weiming quickly adapt?

An exclusive interview with Su Weiming again after a year, trying to find the answer.

From “Crazy Car” to “Master”

In the 35 years since entering the Chinese market, Volkswagen Group, the world’s largest auto maker, has sold more than 42 million vehicles in China. The 28-year high-growth Chinese market has become the “responsibility” for Volkswagen Group’s sales, contributing nearly 40% of its sales each year.

From January to October this year, Volkswagen Group delivered 3.34 million vehicles to Chinese customers, increasing its market share to 19.5%. This means that for every five cars sold in China, one comes from the Volkswagen Group. At present, this veteran automobile company with over 655,000 employees and an annual revenue of 265 billion US dollars is undergoing a transformation of electrification and intelligence. The home field is China.

This tough battle requires a general tie team who is well versed in the Chinese auto market: he needs to have rich practical experience, a deep understanding of the Volkswagen Group, and he must be a figure in the automotive industry