VW taps veteran managers to lead EV joint venture with JAC

VW Group’s China unit appointed two veteran managers to run its electric-vehicle joint venture with JAC Motor Co. Erwin Gabardi was named CEO of the partnership while Jorg Graf was tapped to become chief digitization officer, VW China said this week. Gabardi was previously general secretary and vice president for corporate strategy at VW China. In 2015, he was hired by VW Group from consultant McKinsey & Co. to help the German auto giant improve auto manufacturing efficiency in Europe and China. Graf was previously chief information officer and head of organizational development at FAW-VW, VW Group’s joint venture with China FAW Group Corp. Last month, VW’s EV partnership with JAC kicked off construction on a new assembly plant in the east city of Hefei. The factory, slated to launch output in the second half of 2023, will have capacity to produce up to 350,000 EVs annually after reaching full capacity. It will become VW’s third plant to build MEB-based EVs in China. In late 2020, VW’s joint ventures with China FAW Group Corp. and SAIC Motor Corp. started building their first MEB-based product, the ID.4 crossover for VW brand. Production of a second MEB-based model, the ID.6 SUV, will begin later this year.

VW taps veteran managers to lead EV joint venture with JAC

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