An Audi Q6 on display at a new energy vehicle (NEV) show in Shanghai in June 2024. Credit: CnEVPost.
- The 4-ring brand will be consolidated under FAW-Audi, but a formal contract has yet to be signed and no implementation date has been set.
- The reshuffle will allow SAIC Audi to focus on the AUDI brand, with a newly established dedicated R&D center supporting further product expansion.
Audi has largely finalized the plan to redistribute its brand operations in China, leaving SAIC Audi focused solely on the AUDI brand and placing the entire 4-ring business under FAW-Audi.
Chinese media outlet Caijing reported the development on Monday. The plan would clarify the roles of Audi’s 2 Chinese partners and reduce overlapping operations.
AUDI is a sister brand created specifically for China, using an uppercase wordmark. The traditional 4-ring brand covers Audi’s global lineup of combustion-engine and electric vehicles.
Under the plan, FAW-Audi would take responsibility for the design, production and sales of 4-ring models, while SAIC Audi would exit those operations, according to the report.
FAW-Audi would also, in principle, assume responsibility for existing customers’ benefits and after-sales service, with arrangements to protect dealer interests. Those details have yet to be finalized.
The partners are still negotiating production and sales responsibilities for individual models and the handover of after-sales services. No formal cooperation contract has been signed or implementation date set, Caijing said, citing company sources.
The report marks progress on a previously reported restructuring. In May, local media outlet Mingjing Pro reported that Audi planned to transfer sales rights for combustion-engine vehicles and 4-ring EVs to FAW-Audi.
The reshuffle would preserve Audi’s dual-partner structure in China. Audi global CEO Gernot Döllner said in March that the company would remain committed to that strategy.
SAIC Audi currently operates the AUDI brand’s E5 Sportback and E7X, alongside the 4-ring A5L Sportback, A7L, Q6 and Q5 e-tron.
The split would leave SAIC Audi more dependent on growth at the AUDI brand. 4-ring Audi models sold more than 12,500 units in China in the first 7 months of this year, accounting for about half of SAIC Audi’s total, according to third-party data cited by Caijing.
SAIC Audi has recently stepped up promotions for 4-ring models. Limited-time offers launched on September 3 cut prices for the A7L and Q6 to about 60% of their list prices.
Caijing cited third-party data showing zero production across SAIC Audi’s 4-ring models in July. SAIC Audi, however, told the outlet that all models remained in production, without disclosing volumes.
As the brand split moves forward, Audi is strengthening AUDI’s local R&D capabilities to accelerate product updates.
Audi and SAIC Motor (SSE: 600104) established the AUDI Innovation & Technology Center (AITC) in Shanghai on September 3 to serve the AUDI brand exclusively.
The center will be supported by a team of about 300, focusing on vehicle development and driving dynamics, AI-powered cockpits and next-generation advanced driver assistance systems.
The partners will develop 4 new AUDI models based on ADP 2.0 (Advanced Digitized Platform 2.0), with the first scheduled to debut in 2028.
Before then, the third model in AUDI’s initial product roll-out is due in 2027. The existing E5 Sportback and E7X went on sale in September 2025 and May this year, respectively.
Expanded R&D capabilities and a broader lineup will support SAIC Audi’s shift toward AUDI, but the business handover still requires coordination across supply chains, dealers and after-sales networks.
For Audi, clearer brand responsibilities are only part of the restructuring. Whether the new arrangement delivers growth will still depend on demand for AUDI’s new models and a smooth transition for the 4-ring business.
The research center, known as AITC, will have a team of about 300 people to support the AUDI brand’s product expansion.
