Gasgoo Munich- Volkswagen Anhui Digital Sales Service Co. Ltd. announced internally on March 10 that Li Pengcheng has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and will join the company's management board.
Li's career began at FAW-Volkswagen, where he served as PR Section Chief in the General Manager's Office and later as PR Director for the Volkswagen brand at the sales company. After joining XPENG in 2019, he steered the communications cycle through the company's dual listings on the U.S. and Hong Kong stock exchanges as General Manager of Brand PR, cementing XPENG's status as a top intelligent EV brand. In 2023, he moved to Avatr Technology as Vice President and CMO, taking full charge of the marketing system.
Li Pengcheng, Photo: XPENG
This personnel shift comes at a pivotal moment for Volkswagen Anhui. As the core hub for the Volkswagen Group's electrification transition in China, the unit is tasked with launching the "Golden Badge" Volkswagen brand and serves as a key vehicle for the partnership with XPENG—earning it the internal nickname "Eastern Wolfsburg." However, in its early stages, misjudgments about the pace of change in the Chinese market led to missteps in product development and team building, resulting in market performance that fell short of expectations.
2026 is set to be Volkswagen Anhui's most intensive year for product rollouts. Four new models are slated to hit the market, including a new vehicle built on the CEA (China Electronic Architecture) developed in deep collaboration with XPENG. Jointly developed by Volkswagen China Technology Company, CARIAD China, and XPENG, the CEA architecture achieved mass production and delivery by the end of 2025. Against this backdrop, Li brings a unique blend of Volkswagen system PR experience, XPENG's start-up-to-IPO communications track record, and hands-on marketing leadership from Avatr. His arrival is seen as a critical strategic move for the Golden Badge brand as it enters a major product year.
Notably, Liu Zhanshu, who also hails from FAW-Volkswagen, was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Volkswagen Anhui in November 2025. Liu brings extensive experience spanning joint ventures and domestic brands, having worked at Zeekr, Voyah, and Jaguar Land Rover China. With Li's arrival, Volkswagen Anhui has solidified its core management triumvirate: CEO Stefan Timmermann, COO Liu Zhanshu, and CMO Li Pengcheng. Together, they are tasked with driving the Volkswagen Group's intelligent electrification agenda in China.
