An AUDI E5 Sportback on display at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2025. Credit: CnEVPost
- The research center, known as AITC, will have a team of about 300 people to support the AUDI brand’s product expansion.
- Audi and SAIC will develop 4 new models based on the ADP 2.0 platform, with the first scheduled to debut in 2028.
Audi and SAIC Motor (SSE: 600104) have established an innovation and technology center dedicated to the AUDI brand in Shanghai, where they will jointly develop 4 new models.
The AUDI Innovation & Technology Center (AITC) is a new joint venture with vehicle and end-to-end development capabilities and is headquartered in Shanghai, according to a statement Thursday.
The center’s establishment means the companies’ partnership is expanding beyond product development and supply-chain integration into a full-fledged local R&D system.
AITC will focus on smart EV technologies and vehicle development, including vehicle dynamics and handling, AI-powered smart cockpits and next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems.
Audi and SAIC will develop 4 new AUDI models for the Chinese market based on the Audi ADP 2.0 (Advanced Digitized Platform 2.0) platform, according to the statement.
The models will form the AUDI brand’s second product wave in China and expand its existing lineup. The first is scheduled to debut in 2028.
AITC will also work in the fields of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and AI-defined vehicles (AIDVs).
The center will have about 300 employees. Audi appointed Matthias Pfister as general manager, while SAIC named Shan Yunwei deputy general manager.
Pfister previously headed SAIC Volkswagen’s Shanghai Pre-Series Center. He will oversee AITC’s operational strategy, R&D integration and business development.
SAIC, Audi and Volkswagen Group China hold stakes of 49%, 41% and 10%, respectively, in AITC, according to previously disclosed information.
Fred Schulze, CEO of Audi-SAIC Cooperation and chairman of AITC, said the center will serve as an innovation driver for AUDI’s next-generation products.
AUDI is Audi’s sister brand created specifically for the Chinese market, using an all-capital-letter wordmark instead of the traditional 4-ring logo.
The brand was unveiled in November 2024. Its first production model, the E5 Sportback, went on sale in China in September 2025, followed by its first SUV, the E7X, in May this year.
AUDI’s first product wave also includes a third model scheduled to launch in 2027. The subsequent 4 ADP 2.0-based models will further broaden its coverage of the Chinese market.
AITC is also a key part of Audi’s dual-brand strategy in China. Audi is seeking to combine German engineering, SAIC’s local development efficiency and China’s supply-chain capabilities to accelerate product development.
Audi may redefine the roles of its dual joint ventures in China, with FAW Audi focusing on the four-ring brand and fuel cars, while SAIC Audi concentrates on the AUDI brand.
