Volkswagen Installs New China CTO to Spearhead Local R&D

Volkswagen Group has appointed a new chief technology officer for its China operations who will lead the German auto manufacturer’s research and development work in China and drive forward the strategy of tailoring electric vehicles to the China market.

Thomas Ulbrich, former member of the board of management of the ‘New Mobility’ brand, will succeed Marcus Hafkemeyer as CTO in China from April 1, the Wolfsburg-based company said yesterday.

Ulbrich will also serve as chief executive officer at Volkswagen China Technology Corp, which is the carmaker’s biggest R&D base outside of Germany.

Costing EUR1 billion (USD1.1 billion), the project was announced by Volkswagen's CEO and Volkswagen China's CEO at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2022 and was set up by Hafkemeyer, Yicai learned.

Volkswagen China used to rely on the strengths of its German parent firm in terms of technology, products and platforms, Hafkemeyer told Yicai previously. But this made the introduction of new systems very slow.

Setting up Volkswagen China Technology is a major strategic shift and will help Volkswagen China speed up local R&D and parts procurement, he added. The R&D hub will incorporate local tech into the early stage of product development to solve such issues as the long development cycle of electric vehicles and high costs in China.

Ulbrich has held many key positions at two of the firm’s joint ventures in China, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Company. He served as executive vice president for technology at SAIC Volkswagen from 2010 to April 2014.

FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen dominated car sales in China for many years. But since the advent of electric cars, BYD has been the most popular auto brand in the country since 2022.

Volkswagen China will roll out 30 all-electric models by 2030, the firm said earlier. The first all-electric Audis will roll off the production line at the end of the year and hit the market next year.