A production base that FAW-Volkswagen plans to set up in Tianjin will be the biggest joint-venture investment in the northern port city's manufacturing sector, said an executive involved with the project on Wednesday.

The base in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area will have an investment of $2.5 billion, said Xu Hongxing, director of the development area's administration committee.

Construction is due to start this year, and the base is expected to be put into use in 2018.