Volkswagen and its joint venture partner in China sold a plant in the country that has previously brought increased scrutiny on the auto makers over human-rights concerns.VW and partner SAIC Motor have a joint company that operates a handful of production sites in China.

Volkswagen and Shanghai's SAIC Motor have agreed to sell a factory in China's far western Xinjiang region that drew criticism due to accusations by western governments of human rights violations. The companies also said Wednesday that they were extending their 40-year-old automaking joint venture until 2040,

Earlier this year, the U.S. blocked imports of several Porsche, Bentley, and Audi vehicles amid concerns that they contained a Chinese-made part that violated U.S. forced labor laws.

Rivian Automotive shares soared Wednesday, a day after the electric vehicle manufacturer expanded its partnership with Volkswagen in a move aimed at helping both firms find ways to grab more of the market for EVs.

Rivian and Volkswagen made their joint venture official, with the German carmaker pledging a $5.8 investment in Rivian and 75% in shared development expenses

Rivian and Volkswagen Group have finalized a multi-billion-dollar joint venture to develop software, paving the way to let the German auto giant leverage the EV startup's more technical chops in the coming years.

VW and its local partner sold a production site in the Xinjiang region that had previously brought increased scrutiny on the automaker over human-rights concerns.

German car giant Volkswagen said Wednesday it would sell its operations in China's Xinjiang region, where Beijing has been accused of widespread human rights abuses including forced labour.

German car giant VW said that it would sell its factory and test track in Xinjiang for "economic reasons." China has been accused of using forced labor from ethnic Uyghurs in the region.