With 3.2 million vehicles sold in 2017, Volkswagen is doing extremely well in China, and it's not surprising that the company's current strategy includes the introduction of nine new models in the said market in 2018. One of those cars is the Arteon, which we already saw break cover in Europe and the U.S. But unlike these two markets, China is getting the Arteon with a CC badge. Another new model is the Lavida, which was redesigned after six years on the market and launched at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show.

Produced exclusively for the Chinese market by Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive since 2008, the Lavida was up until now a slightly revised version of the Jetta, also known as the Bora in certain markets. The outgoing model, in production since 2012, was still based on the old PQ34 platform, which underpinned the fourth-generation Golf and the first-generation Audi A3. Despite that, the Lavida remained China's best-selling sedan with 450,000 units in 2017. Now, the Lavida finally switched to the much newer MQB platform and gained a brand-new design in the process.

Although a massive departure from its predecessor, the new Lavida looks very familiar. That's because it borrows a lot of styling cues from the U.S.-spec Jetta, including the big front grille and the rear fascia. They're not identical, but they obviously share the same design language. It doesn't look as upscale as the Jetta, but it's definitely more elegant than the old Lavida.

The same goes for the interior, which feels more modern than the old design. Granted, the dashboard and the center stack look pretty basic, as does the instrument cluster, but at least it has a bigger infotainment display and less clutter. Volkswagen has yet to release info about convenience features and tech, but it should be a big step up from the previous model.

In case you're wondering, the Lavida won't be offered in Europe or North America.

References

Read more Volkswagen news.

Read more 2018 Beijing Auto Show news.