Audi to produce electric cars with Chinese auto maker FAW

Audi has announced it will build an electric vehicle (EV) factory in China in partnership with Chinese automaker FAW, increasing the number of vehicles it makes in China to 12 by the end of 2021.

The production of models based on the “Premium Platform Electric” (PPE) will be the first cooperation company with Audi in China to have a majority stake.

Audi is founding a new company in China with its local partner FAW to build the new range of battery-electric luxury cars, a move that it says will herald a “golden decade” of electrification by the company.

China is the leading market for electric vehicles by volume globally, although Europe is not far behind.

The first Audi models on the Premium Platform Electric (“PPE”, on which the Audi e-Tron and the Porsche Taycan are built) developed jointly with Porsche will roll off the assembly line in Changchun in northeast China in 2024, Audi announced on Monday.

Audi and Volkswagen are said to hold 60 per cent of the shares in the joint venture, which will produce for the local market.

Duesmann said that with the local production, Audi is strengthening its presence in China and its positioning as a manufacturer of fully electric premium vehicles. Together with FAW, Audi plans to expand its locally produced range to twelve models by the end of this year.

Changchun is also the headquarters of the FAW Volkswagen joint venture, in which Audi has been involved for more than 30 years. The official establishment of the new joint venture with the approval of all parties involved and the Chinese supervisory authorities should be completed by the end of March. Audi has not yet commented on capacity or the number of employees. Last year Audi sold 727,000 cars in China.