Shanghai Volkswagen General Manager Liu Jian and three other high-ranking managers were killed Saturday in a traffic accident during a business trip to Jiuquan in northwestern Gansu Province, a company statement said Monday.

The four were traveling to Jiuquan to host dealer interviews and trial driving, the statement said.

Shanghai Volkswagen, a joint venture between China's carmaker SAIC Group and German auto giant Volkswagen AG, said it had set up an emergency group to coordinate police investigation into the accident.

The company was operating normally and the accident would not affect client services, it said.