My CIIE Story • Prominent Platform | Expo helps Audi go electric

Editor’s note: The fifth China International Import Expo is closer than September. The “My CIIE Story” activity, which was launched on June 1, attracted a lot of attention, and many people shared their experiences related to the expo. A series of books on the subject of “grand strategy” and the “big market” were published in July and August. In September, more “leading platform” stories, which show how the CIIE turns exhibitions into products and exhibitors into investors, will be released.

I first came to China in 2013 as a senior manager at FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co. During the seven years I was here, I was in charge of building and operating many bases of production in cities like Tianjin and Qingdao.

Audi has been present in China for more than 30 years and during this time has gained popularity among Chinese consumers. Previous editions of China International Import Expo have also played a key role in improving our popularity in recent times.

At the first CIIE in 2018, Audi launched its first fully electric car e-tron, which marked the start of the company’s electric transition in China.

The Audi e-tron again appeared at the second CIIE and entered the Chinese market in November 2019. At the third edition, three more cars from the e-tron family were presented. Audi’s Changchun plant manufactured the first locally produced e-tron in the same year.

In 2021, the Audi RS e-tron GT and grandsphere concept car were showcased at the fourth CIIE, demonstrating Audi’s commitment to sustainable growth. The company had also sold a combined 7 million cars in China that year, becoming the first luxury car brand to reach that figure.

The CIIE has a number of advantages of China. They include huge market, advanced manufacturing industry, efficient logistics, advanced smart and digital technologies, favorable business environment and favorable opening-up policies, which create countless opportunities for multinationals.

I believe China is the key to Audi’s long-term success, and the expo is the perfect platform to better understand China, seize business opportunities in the country, and find new momentum for growth.

Audi will attend this year’s CIIE for the fifth consecutive time and it is one of my priorities. I hope to open a new chapter in the development of our business through this fair.

In the future, Audi will increase its investment in research and development in China and focus on areas such as electrification, digitalization, intelligence and sustainability to provide Chinese customers with high-quality products and personalized. To this end, we laid the foundation stone for an Audi FAW new energy vehicle production base in Changchun, Jilin province in June. This is Audi’s first plant in China dedicated to the production of electric cars.

The author has been with the Volkswagen Group since 2004 and was appointed Chairman of Audi China on January 1, 2022.