Spain-based SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Volkswagen Group China and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp., Ltd (JAC) to advance e-mobility in China.

Under the agreement, all parties will leverage their technology and product strengths to develop a battery electric vehicle platform for production at JAC Volkswagen. JAC Volkswagen will introduce the SEAT brand by 2021, and jointly electrify SEAT products.

The construction of the JAC Volkswagen R&D center will start before the end of 2018 and will focus on key areas such as connectivity, autonomous driving and other future strategic directions. The signing provides new impetus in the growing partnership between Volkswagen Group China, SEAT and JAC, working together in the important e-mobility market in China.

E-mobility along with digitalization, connectivity and autonomous driving are the future of the mobility industry, and China has established itself as a major driver of this transformation. This partnership also represents the benefits of a globalized approach to delivering sustainable mobility.

—Dr. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG

SEAT, Volkswagen Group China and JAC signed an agreement last July in Berlin, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang, whereby SEAT formed part of the joint venture and became the Volkswagen Group’s lead brand in this project. Since the joint venture was created in 2017, SEAT has been contributing its know-how in the areas of design and R&D.

This memorandum of understanding helps the Volkswagen Group take solid steps in the Chinese market and SEAT is set to play a leading role in implementing the agreement’s initiatives. The products which will be manufactured on the battery electric vehicle platform will address the e-mobility requirements of Chinese customers. The R&D center, which will be established through joint efforts, aims to develop connectivity and autonomous driving technologies specifically tailored to the Chinese market.