In 1978, a Chinese delegation dressed in Mao suits travelled to Wolfsburg with a stunning message for the men running Volkswagen: Deng Xiaoping’s China was open for business.
Now, after four decades building the world’s biggest car market from scratch and profiting from the rise of an economic superpower, the automaker has suddenly found itself fighting for its position in China.
While the sprawling German group, which today includes Porsche and Audi, sells more cars in China than any other company, its flagship VW brand was recently dethroned as the country’s best-selling car by BYD, the Shenzhen-based conglomerate backed by Warren Buffett.