VW opens Hefei Test Workshops in China

Volkswagen Group China Technology Company (VCTC) has opened its first Test Workshops in Hefei, completing its final expansion stage and bringing end-to-end development capabilities directly to the Chinese market. These new facilities significantly strengthen the Group’s local R&D presence, integrating software, hardware, and whole-vehicle validation under one roof. This approach enables faster decision-making, closer customer alignment, and accelerated roll-out of next-generation technologies.

With the completion of the Hefei Test Workshops, VCTC has become VW’s most comprehensive R&D hub outside its home market. For the first time in the company’s history, it can now support the development and validation of new vehicle platforms from the earliest phases beyond Germany. Spanning around 100,000m² and housing over 100 ‘state of the art’ laboratories, the workshops deliver powerful testing capabilities, including software–hardware integration, battery and powertrain testing, and full vehicle-level validation.

Oliver Blume, VW Group‘s CEO, said: “Our ‘In China for China’ strategy continues to gain momentum. At our development centre in Hefei, China, we have now created all the conditions necessary to develop, test and locally manufacture the next generation of intelligent connected vehicles. This milestone makes us even faster and more efficient – and brings us even closer to our customers. This will enable us, as the Volkswagen Group, to consolidate our position in the world's largest automotive market with the clear goal of becoming the global technology driver of the automotive industry.”

Flawless quality
Ralf Brandstätter, member of the board of management of Volkswagen AG responsible for China, and chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, added: “China is the world’s most competitive automotive market, and our customers here expect rapid innovation and flawless quality. This is why we are taking our development capabilities in China to the next level.”

He continued: “By expanding our footprint in Hefei, we are strengthening our ability to respond quickly to local needs and to shape technologies directly where they will be used. This step deepens our commitment to China and ensures that our future products reflect the preferences and expectations of Chinese customers from the very beginning.”

VCTC plays a pivotal role in VW Group’s “In China for China” strategy. As the Group’s most comprehensive R&D hub beyond its home market, it is also the only Group R&D centre dedicated exclusively to electric, intelligent and connected vehicles. VCTC integrates core development units and decision-making processes for local vehicle and technology projects while coordinating with joint venture R&D units. By embedding itself deeply into China’s technology ecosystem, VCTC can proactively address market-defining trends such as digitalisation and autonomous driving at an early stage, harnessing the growth momentum and innovative vitality of the Chinese market.

The Hefei workshops also enable the delivery of the China Electronic Architecture (CEA) at unprecedented speed. Developed jointly by VCTC and CARIAD China, CEA is the Group’s first zonal E/E architecture tailored to Chinese customer needs and will be delivered within 18 months. Supported by the all-new Software-Defined-Vehicle development process, the overall vehicle development cycle can be shortened by 30%. Early supplier integration during the concept phase of new cars and technologies can reduce costs by up to 50% in key projects. CEA ensures seamless integration of digital cockpit functions, advanced driving assistance systems, and whole-vehicle over-the-air upgrades.

Thomas Ulbrich, CTO of Volkswagen Group China and CEO of VCTC, explained: “The new workshops give our engineering teams an entirely new level of integration. We can now run software, hardware, and full-vehicle validation processes in parallel, shorten decision loops, and bring innovations to maturity much faster. This environment enables us to push forward next-generation intelligent-vehicle technologies with high precision and efficiency.”

Comprehensive validation of core vehicle systems
Safety, durability and reliability have long defined the Volkswagen DNA, and the new Hefei Test Workshops reinforce this commitment. They enable earlier and more comprehensive validation of core vehicle systems while also supporting products and technologies for export to regions such as ASEAN and the Middle East. At the Battery and Powertrain Integration Testing Centre, engineers can test up to 500 battery systems per year, covering performance, lifetime, safety, and environmental robustness, as well as E-Drive, thermal management, electronics, and battery cell components.

The Platform & Module Testing Centre follows the same philosophy. Its advanced Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) laboratory safeguards the reliability of vehicle electronics, while a full-vehicle durability test bench can simulate global driving conditions within the workshops. Together with the City Test Track, Volkswagen Group has established a full design–build–test–validate cycle in Hefei, working closely with its global R&D network.

VW Group continues to expand Hefei’s capabilities. The Functions Integration Test (FIT) Laboratory will come online in mid-2026 as one of only two in the Group, simulating extreme environmental conditions. These efforts are laying the foundations for VW’s next chapter in intelligent and connected mobility.