Volkswagen Import is presenting its latest products and technologies in China to better meet the demands of its customers and fans in the world's largest automotive market.

"Our number-one mission is to provide Chinese consumers with Volkswagen's latest and most authentic German-engineered cars," said Axel Schroeder, managing director of Volkswagen Import, at the just-concluded Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao International Auto Show held in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

The company showcased a number of heavyweight products at the event, including the Touareg Executive Expedition Edition, paying tribute to the premium SUV's 15th anniversary.

The model is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 supercharged engine and features a strong body structure and enhanced air suspension, with Volkswagen's 4-Motion technology enabling smooth driving through even very challenging conditions.

"Our Touareg doesn't just look like a conqueror; it also acts like one," said Schroeder."Over its 15-year history, the Volkswagen Touareg has a long list of achievements and has undertaken many grueling journeys and long-distance driving challenges."

In 2005, a Touareg drove up the world's highest active volcano, Ojos del Salado, and in 2014 it traversed Europe and Africa in 21 days, breaking the multicontinent endurance record.

He said the Touareg will soon embark on a 5,000-kilometer trip along the Silk Road from Luoyang, Henan province, to Horgos, a border town in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Beyond gasoline-powered cars, Volkswagen Import is also introducing new energy vehicles to China, the world's largest market for such cars, to meet fast-growing demand.

Its new e-Golf, with a range of 270 km on one charge, is to hit the market later this year, and the plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Variant GTE will be introduced to China at the beginning of 2018.

Schroeder said Volkswagen Import will introduce at least one new energy vehicle a year.

Volkswagen's first-ever pure electric vehicle, the electricup!, was introduced through its import network in 2014, which was followed by Volkswagen's first plug-in hybrid Golf GTE in 2015.

Volkswagen Import has also made it a priority to bring the German automaker's latest technologies to China.

Volkswagen Car-Net, for instance, is exclusively available on import models.

Schroeder said the company is actively promoting Volkswagen's fuel-efficient engine technology. Now roughly half of its products sold in China are equipped with economical yet powerful 1.2- and 1.4-liter TSI engines.

Volkswagen Import is introducing tailor-made special editions for China, allowing local customers to individualize their cars.

The Touareg Shenzhen Huaxi Edition was showcased at the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao International Auto Show as a prime example of this benefit.

Huaxi is one of Volkswagen Import's dealers in Shenzhen. Volkswagen Import now has around 150 points of sales covering most tier-one and two cities and is planning to expand further.

Schroeder said the Shenzhen Huaxi Edition, designed by Volkswagen Import and Huaxi, chose not to feature the panoramic sunroof, as Shenzhen has too much sunshine.

It also does not have a steering wheel that can be heated, because such a feature is most often unnecessary in the warm climate of southern China.

"Dealers are our first point of contact with customers. Their market insights help us to create products that are perfectly tailored to the needs of local consumers," said Schroeder.

Touareg Shenzhen Huaxi Edition is offered exclusively to customers in the Shenzhen area. Schroeder said more tailor-made versions will be introduced in other key regions to meet the specific demands of local customers.

Volkswagen Import is working to improve customer experience with digitalized services, adapting to new marketing trends in the country.

Quoting a survey, Schroeder said potential buyers made six or seven visits to dealerships before they made the final decision, yet now the number has fallen to one or two, as it is getting easier to learn about cars they might want online.

Under such circumstances, Volkswagen Import is using many digitized tools. Customers can scan QR codes with their mobile phones and take a look at cars through a pair of virtual reality glasses in their homes..

Its VR tools at dealerships allow potential buyers to see the immediate results after their cars are tailor-made with different body colors and interiors, said Schroeder.

After more than a decade of efforts, Volkswagen Import has reached a milestone of selling 500,000 cars in the country since its arrival.

Its 500,000th customer, Chen Xiqing, a resident in Shenzhen, has bought seven Touareg SUVs in the past 10 years.

Looking forward, Schroeder is even more optimistic and expects sales in the second half of the year to be even better, as several new models are expected to hit the market later this year.

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(China Daily 06/12/2017 page18)