"FAW-Audi, a core pillar of FAW-Volkswagen, is navigating a sweeping transition in China's luxury market," said Dong Xiuhui, Party Committee Secretary and General Manager of FAW-Volkswagen, on January 15. "We are accelerating toward a second 10-million-unit milestone. We will maintain our strategic resolve to build Audi into the premier luxury brand in China."
That evening, FAW-Audi announced its cumulative user base in China had surpassed the 10-unit million mark, making it the first joint-venture luxury automaker to reach this milestone. Simultaneously, the all-new Audi Q5L—built on the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC)—debuted with a price range of 309,800 to 384,800 yuan.
FAW-Audi pioneered luxury brands in China in 1988 and launched the long-wheelbase trend. Now, it navigates an industry shift defined by "equal intelligence for combustion and electric vehicles," opening a new chapter of high-quality development. With evolved product strength, the brand advances "inward focus and intelligent progress" in the Chinese luxury market it has cultivated for 38 years.
10 Million Users: A New Starting Point for Deep Localization and Strategic Transformation
"Behind these 10 million users lies not just the accumulation of numbers or scale, but FAW-Audi's deep integration into China's reform and opening-up," Liu Yigong, Director, General Manager, and Deputy Party Secretary of China FAW Group, said in his address. "It reflects our strategic choice and unwavering confidence in promoting Sino-German automotive cooperation."
Thirty-eight years and 10 million users—this achievement makes Audi the first luxury automotive brand in China to cross this threshold. The figure "10 million" represents more than a cumulative sales total; it is a microcosm of FAW-Audi's deep integration into the development of China's auto industry, its sustained response to user demands, and its fusion with China's technology ecosystem.
Dr. Jürgen Unser, President of Audi China, attributes this achievement to the long-term trust of Chinese customers and partners, emphasizing that it "is far more than a number; it represents the trust and strong bonds built over decades."
Looking back, FAW-Audi's "road to 10 million" has been defined by typical localized innovation and market insight:
From the initial "pilot project" to introducing the Audi quality audit system and a globally unified 4S service system, FAW-Audi established the standards for modern luxury vehicle production, sales, and service in China.
The domestic production of the first-generation Audi Q5 pioneered the localization of luxury mid-size SUVs. The long-wheelbase second-generation Q5L precisely anticipated the travel needs of Chinese families, leading and shaping product standards across the luxury market and forcing competitors to follow suit.
Today, facing waves of intelligence and electrification, FAW-Audi has proposed an "oil-electric equal intelligence" strategy. Relying on the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) and PPE (Premium Platform Electric), and deeply partnering with Chinese tech firms like Huawei, it aims to solve the intelligence challenges of traditional fuel vehicles.
As Dong Xiuhui noted, the 10-million-user milestone and FAW-Volkswagen's previous 30-million-unit production and sales scale have "jointly forged a benchmark model for deepened Sino-German cooperation."
Yet, the gala did not dwell on past glories. Liu Yigong made it clear: "10 million users is not the finish line, but the starting point for gathering strength and moving forward with ambition." This positioning sets the tone for all of FAW-Audi's upcoming strategic and product maneuvers.
With rising electrification and rapidly shifting market patterns, balancing a large fuel vehicle base with the electrification trend is a challenge for every traditional luxury brand. FAW-Audi's answer is the "parallel development of fuel and electric vehicles with full intelligence." This strategy rejects a simple switch to electricity, favoring the concurrent intelligent development of fuel, hybrid, and pure electric products.
To this end, FAW-Audi has built two technological foundations: the PPC platform, dedicated to next-generation high-end fuel and hybrid models with a core mission of deeply integrating traditional powertrains with top-tier intelligent technology; and the PPE platform, focused on high-end pure electric models and synchronized with Audi's global electrification strategy.
"Based on the new PPC and PPE platforms, we ensure that whether it is a fuel car or an electric car, we achieve industry-leading intelligent capabilities," explained Guo Yongfeng, Executive Deputy General Manager of FAW-Audi Sales Co., Ltd., at the conference. "This enables the parallel intelligent development of ICE (internal combustion engine vehicles), NEVs (new energy vehicles), and hybrids."
The "In China, For China" localization strategy has been elevated to unprecedented heights. This goes beyond simply extending the wheelbase or adjusting configurations; it involves deep synergy in R&D, supply chains, and ecosystems.
In terms of R&D synergy, FAW-Volkswagen maintains an average annual investment of nearly 10 billion yuan. Relying on a "two countries, nine locations" layout, the focus is on core tracks like intelligent driving and software.
Regarding ecosystem cooperation, the company is forming "strong alliances" with leading Chinese tech and supply chain enterprises like Huawei and CATL. Notably, the partnership with Huawei in intelligent driving is key to FAW-Audi's breakthrough in fuel vehicle intelligence.
In supply chain empowerment, the active adoption of high-quality local suppliers continues to drive the upgrading of the domestic auto parts industry.
Dr. Unser emphasized that Audi's "In China, With China" policy aims to "bring the best products and experiences to Chinese customers." This strategy of deeply binding with China's innovation chain aims to maximize the synergistic advantages of "German precision engineering" and "Chinese innovation," creating a "new paradigm for Sino-German automotive cooperation in the new era."
All-New Audi Q5L Breakthrough: Reshaping the Benchmark for "Intelligent Fuel Vehicles"
Strategy requires product execution. As the most anticipated new model at the gala, the all-new Audi Q5L—built on the PPC platform—has been tasked with opening a "new era of intelligence for luxury fuel SUVs."
This is more than a routine generational change; it is the first major SUV product under FAW-Audi's "oil-electric equal intelligence" strategy, intended to re-establish a benchmark in the fiercely competitive mid-size luxury SUV market.
Facing the fierce offensive from new rivals on intelligence, the new Q5L offers a systematic response from the fuel camp. It claims to be a "German powerhouse" through a "golden powertrain combination" of HDI dual-motor full-domain hybrid, the fifth-generation EA888 engine, and quattro intelligent four-wheel drive, along with the segment's only optional air suspension, creating the "optimal handling dynamics for fuel vehicles." Simultaneously, as the world's first luxury fuel SUV equipped with Huawei's Qiankun Intelligent Driving® technology, it aims to thoroughly shatter the stereotype that "fuel vehicles lack intelligence."
HDI dual-motor full-domain hybrid technology is the new Q5L's core highlight. Through a P0+P3 motor layout, the system switches seamlessly between pure electric, hybrid, and pure fuel modes. Its value lies in: pure electric driving for low-speed city conditions (start, parking, coasting), offering EV-like smoothness and quiet; rapid motor intervention during hard acceleration for better response and acceleration feedback; and optimized energy consumption across all conditions. Officials claim fuel consumption is reduced by 15% compared to the previous generation, balancing performance, efficiency, and smoothness.
The Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving® system is its breakthrough in intelligence. The vehicle is equipped with 33 sensors (including dual LiDAR), fully supporting urban NOA and highway NOA functions, along with advanced parking capabilities like memory parking across levels and automated reverse. Li Wenguang, President of Huawei's Intelligent Driving Solution Product Line, stated at the launch that the debut of the new Q5L and other models "fully proves that fuel vehicles can feature intelligent driving, and can be just as good as electric cars."
In design, space, and luxury, the new car's wheelbase has been further extended to 2,945mm, with a body length of 4,842mm, continuing to consolidate its space advantage. The exterior adopts a more sporty and sharp design language, introducing China-exclusive colors. The interior enhances the tech-luxury experience through a digital stage (multi-screen linkage), a large HUD, and a customized smart cockpit.
From a pricing perspective, the new Q5L's range of 309,800 to 384,800 yuan signals an aggressive market strategy.
Its goal is clear: first, defend the base. With stronger product power (intelligence, hybrid, design), it aims to consolidate its advantage over traditional competitors (BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC) and defend its position as sales champion in the mid-size luxury fuel SUV market (targeting 140,000 sales in 2025).
Second, launch a new offensive through top-tier intelligent driving and an electrified driving experience. This aims to attract consumers who favor smart technology but still prefer fuel vehicles or have range anxiety, competing for market share against popular new energy SUVs like the AITO M7 and Li Auto L7.
The launch of the new Q5L is a frontal charge initiated by FAW-Audi under its "oil-electric equal intelligence" strategy, using its most mainstream and best-selling model to test the market's acceptance of the value of "intelligent fuel vehicles."
Under the "Oil-Electric Equal Intelligence" Strategy: The Challenge of 700,000 Sales by 2030 Remains
Building on a base of 10 million users and a clear strategy, FAW-Audi has set ambitious future goals. Dong Xiuhui announced: "Facing 2030, FAW-Volkswagen is anchoring a production and sales scale of 2 million, of which FAW-Audi will achieve a sales scale of 700,000 units." This means achieving significant growth from the current base of approximately 570,000 units (2025 data).
To achieve this, FAW-Audi has planned a multi-dimensional path. Accelerating the renewal and expansion of the product matrix: on the fuel and hybrid line (PPC platform), following the Q5L, the all-new Audi A6L and the new Q7 will launch successively. The more personalized and performance-oriented S5 Avant will also be introduced. The highly anticipated flagship SUV—the all-new Audi Q9—is planned for introduction in 2027, completing full coverage from A- to D-segment markets.
On the pure electric line (PPE platform), the first pure electric sedan, the Audi A6L e-tron, is set to launch. It will also feature Huawei's Qiankun Intelligent Driving, a range of 785 km (CLTC), and support 800V high-speed charging. Guo Yongfeng also revealed that future models based on the PPE platform will include hybrids.
FAW-Audi aims to achieve "Four Leading" positions: leading brand development, leading product technology, leading customer experience, and leading ecological responsibility.
In customer experience, the service brand is being fully upgraded to the "Sincerely Know" customer experience brand, constructing three themes—"Respect, Joy, Enjoy"—covering the entire user lifecycle.
In terms of ecological responsibility, it will drive the transformation and upgrading of nearly 600 dealer partners, stabilizing nearly 500,000 jobs across the entire industrial chain.
Despite clear planning, the road ahead remains challenging. Regarding the broader market environment, China's luxury car market is undergoing structural adjustment, with share in the 300,000 to 400,000 yuan price range under pressure. Competition has evolved from the traditional "BBA" tripartite struggle into a multi-dimensional melee with Tesla, Li Auto, AITO, and other new forces. For FAW-Audi itself, whether its "oil-electric equal intelligence" strategy can be widely accepted, and whether its intelligent experience can truly match or surpass top new rivals to support a new brand value, will be key to determining if its 700,000-unit goal can be met.
From the brand spirit of "Vorsprung durch Technik" to the "user-centric" localization practice, and now to the strategic choice of "oil-electric equal intelligence," FAW-Audi's story of 10 million users is a history of continuous adaptation to China, integration into China, and an attempt to lead the Chinese market.
The launch of the new Audi Q5L acts as a strategic intervention in the most representative market contradiction of our time—the conflict between loyalists of fuel vehicles and the era's trend toward intelligent electrification. The answer it attempts to provide is: consumers do not have to choose between the two; technological fusion offers a solution combining both.
After the gala, the real test has just begun. The market performance of the new Q5L will be the first major test of the effectiveness of FAW-Audi's current strategy. Whether it can continue to win the trust of the next 10 million users in the era of intelligent electrification depends on whether it can maximize the fusion of "German precision engineering" and "Chinese intelligence," and whether its story of "oil-electric equal intelligence" can truly appeal to an increasingly discerning and diverse group of Chinese consumers.
FAW-Audi's next leg has set sail. The direction is "moving forward with intelligence," and the vessel carries the trust of millions past, along with a new answer to how "luxury" and "intelligence" coexist in this new era.
