Interview: Audi on course to capitalize on increasing demand in China

FRANKFURT, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- German car maker Audi continues to see robust demand for its models in China, and is on course to boost its position on the Chinese market through electrification, a senior management has said.

There is particularly strong potential for premium cars in China, the company's head of sales for Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Jacquiline Harvey told Xinhua.

In its "Vorsprung 2030 China Strategy", unveiled in April, Audi announced that it would increase investment to enhance its production capacity, and continue to expand its product portfolio in China.

The construction of a new electric car plant in Changchun city, in northeastern Jilin province, is in full swing, and Audi's "largest model offensive" in China is now extending into its third year.

The flourishing cooperation between Germany and China in the automotive industry is proof of strong bilateral relations between the two countries, Harvey said.

As a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, the largest car manufacturer in Germany, Audi has been present in China for over 30 years. "China is our largest single market and a central pillar of the Audi strategy," Harvey said.

Among the 785,099 vehicles Audi delivered worldwide in the first six months of this year, a total of 319,558 vehicles went to customers in China. Meanwhile, annual sales of Audi-brand cars in China have exceeded 700,000 units for the past two years.

Audi is also launching three new electric models on the Chinese market this year.

With an investment of 2.6 billion euros (2.49 billion U.S. dollars), the new electric car plant in Changchun will boost Audi's product capacity in China by more than 150,000 electric vehicles when the plant is completed by the end of 2024. (1 euro = 0.96 U.S. dollars)