People often forget this today, but Volkswagen was among the earliest Western automakers to break into China. It launched a joint venture with the locals at SAIC in 1984, and that was the start of decades of sales and profits in what became the world's biggest car market. For its trouble, Volkswagen is now in dire straits in China as much as any other foreign car company; sales are lagging hard as buyers turn more to local car brands with more advanced electric vehicle technology that are more attuned to their own tastes.
