Volkswagen and SAIC Motor say they have agreed to extend their 40-year-old automaking joint venture in China until 2040.

Germany's Volkswagen Group and its Chinese partner have sold a factory in the Xinjiang region of China, where accusations of forced labor dogged the facility for many years.

Volkswagen's (VW) sale of a controversial plant in China will come as a relief to the German carmaker, as it rationalises its flagging operation amid cutthroat competition in the world's largest automotive market,