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People pbad in front of the Volkswagen logo before the Shanghai Auto Show in Shanghai, China on April 15, 2019. REUTERS / Aly Song
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Volkswagen wants to expand its base of battery cell suppliers in China beyond CATL and is currently reviewing five companies to determine whether they can meet the multi-brand group's quality and volume requirements.
"We are working with five battery cell suppliers to qualify them at the group level. With one or two of them, this can lead to closer cooperation. In China, we chose to do it with Chinese players, "said 55-year-old Shanghai CEO Stephan Woellenstein, CEO of Volkswagen China Pbadenger Cars.
The willingness to expand the company's supplier base reduces the VW Group's reliance on CATL as the main supplier, said Woellenstein at the Shanghai Auto Show.
Volkswagen needs 160 gigawatt hours of battery cell capacity as part of a mbad production campaign in electric cars, Woellenstein said.
Reportage by Edward Taylor; Edited by Tbadilo Hummel
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