German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to start production of electric cars at its two Chinese joint ventures (JV) by 2014 and increase mass production by 2018.

Volkswagen said that the initial EV output at its two JV’s – Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW Volkswagen was expected at a few thousand vehicles, rising to 100,000 by 2018.

Volkswagen China president and chief executive Karl-Thomas Neumann said he is convinced e-vehicles will be a success in China because it is desperately needed.

“E-vehicles have so far been limited by cost batteries, and a lack of economies of scale and models considered appealing to car buyers and they were needed to reduce China’s pollution and reliance on oil,” Neumann said.

By 2015 the German carmaker plans to launch nearly 50 new models in including its first plug-in hybrid in China, where it already has a market share of 16%.

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