Volkswagen Group plans to roll out autonomous vehicles and offer mobility services such as ride-hailing and short-term rental in Hefei with local partner Jianghuai Automobile.
| JVW began testing self-driving variants of its e-Golf in Hamburg |
The services are part of an agreement the German automaker signed with JAC and the Hefei city government Monday in Barcelona, Spain.
The latest focus of the partnership, which also includes building electric vehicles under VW’s Seat brand, is developing autonomous vehicles in China.
VW’s China subsidiary and JAC will pool resources and collaborate to provide autonomous mobility services, including robotaxis and autonomous fleet management, VW said.
The partnership, intended to assist Hefei’s transformation into a smart city, will create opportunities for VW to test new technologies, business models and products in a connected smart city environment, the group said.
Last month, VW began testing self-driving versions of its Golf compact car on the streets of Hamburg, Germany.
Hefei, where JAC is headquartered, is the capital of east China province Anhui. It has a population of about 8 million.
JAC is VW’s third joint-venture partner in China.
VW also operates passenger-vehicle JV with SAIC Motor and China FAW Group.
