Shanghai Volkswagen rolls out limited

To celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, Shanghai Volkswagen, one of the German automaker's joint ventures in China, is bringing seven souvenir editions of its current models to the Chengdu auto show.

The seven souvenir editions are special versions of the company's new Polo, Santana, New Lavida, Gran Lavida, Passat, Tiguan and Touran models.

In addition, a Shanghai Volkswagen coupe model is also making its global debut at the Chengdu auto show on Friday.

The coupe's NMC concept model premiered at the Beijing auto show in April.

The joint venture reported total sales of over 895,500 units of sedans in the first seven months of this year, ranking No.2 among all automakers in China, according to data from CAAM.

Volkswagen's other joint venture in China, FAW-Volkswagen, is ranked No.1 with 939,100 units of sedans sold in the same period.

German automakers accounted for the largest share in the country's sedan market in the first seven months of 2014 with 28.75 percent while Japanese automakers ranked second among foreign automakers with a 16.71 percent share, CAAM data showed.

Experts said they expect that German auto brands will continue to dominate the local market for some time.

The early entry of Volkswagen in the Chinese market, as well as its product variety and quality, has contributed to its leading position in China, independent auto analyst Zhang Zhiyong said.