VW to Woo Picky Chinese Buyers With New Electric Sub-Brand
- Carmaker to introduce ID.UX brand to China in turnaround bid
- Local companies like BYD far outrun laggard VW in EV sales
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Volkswagen AG will start sales of a new electric-vehicle brand in China kitted out with gadgets like an in-car avatar to help win back young buyers it has lost to the likes of BYD Co.
The ID.UX sub-brand will include features that Chinese customers have come to expect, according to the VW brand’s China head Stefan Mecha, such as advanced speech recognition and high connectivity to China-specific social platforms. After leading in China for decades, VW has been caught wrong-footed on EVs where local brands dominate with 84% market share according to data compiled by Bloomberg.