Audi China unit to be launched soon in Beijing

Shanghai, March 18 (Gasgoo.com) Audi will officially launch its Chinese operation company soon in Beijing, local media reported today. Audi's China business boss, Dietmar Voggenreiter, is relocating his headquarters from Ingolstadt, Germany to Beijing.

The Beijing-headquartered Audi unit will be named Audi (China) Corporate Management Co., Ltd., with Dietmar Voggenreiter as its CEO reporting to Audi global boss Rupert Stadler. Many global employees have moved to this Beijing company, which will start operation soon and may set up other business projects. Voggenreiter, 40, will head a team of 110 locally-based employees.

China is Audi's second largest market after its home market Germany. As the top-selling premium car brand in the Chinese market, Audi aims to double its sales in China to 200,000 units by 2015. To that end, it is boosting local production, local parts sourcing and focusing on selling cars designed for Chinese buyers.

"The new unit will bring Audi's China experts closer together and closer to the Chinese market," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told reporters. In addition, Audi's new China unit will help the carmaker to better compete with close rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the Chinese market.

Audi sold more than 1 million cars globally last year, including 118,100 units in China. After A6, A4 and Q5, Audi is expected to make its fourth new model locally for the Chinese market this year. Audi has built a new production line with its Chinese partner FAW in northeastern Chinese city of Changchun.

The Audi A1 mini model will be displayed at the upcoming 2009 Shanghai auto show in April and will come to the Chinese market after its global launch in 2010.