Volkswagen Sells Xinjiang Sites to Leave Controversial Region

Volkswagen AG will end its activities in Xinjiang, bowing to pressure from investors concerned about possible human-rights abuses in the western Chinese region.

The German carmaker’s local venture with SAIC Motor Corp. will sell a plant in Urumqi to a unit of state-owned Shanghai Lingang Economic Development, VW said Wednesday. The manufacturer will also extend its partnership with SAIC by a decade to 2040.