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Automotive Industry
The new plant in Changchun is the first in China only to build fully electric Audi models based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). The Q6L e-tron, a long-wheelbase version of the Q6 e-tron built in Ingolstadt, will initially roll off the production line there. According to Audi, a market-specific version of the A6 e-tron will be added later. It will also be a long-wheelbase version.
However, the China-specific adaptations now go beyond the almost traditional stretched wheelbase, as the German carmaker explains. The Q6L e-tron differs from the international model because, for example, it has “numerous design features and innovations for the Chinese market.”
The vehicle will be manufactured in a plant built especially for the Audi FAW NEV Company. The foundation stone was laid in 2022, and the plant is designed for 150,000 cars per year. The factory will be characterised by extensive digitalisation, a fully integrated IT solution and a high degree of automation. In car body production alone, 800 robots will be used; Audi is talking about automation that “will reach the highest levels in the industry in China.” A 24-metre-high warehouse will also be automated to ensure reliable logistics.Audi emphasised the importance of its electrification strategy several times in the press release at the start of production, as did Audi boss Gernot Döllner. “The models produced here will play a crucial role in our local portfolio and strengthen our position in this key market,” says the CEO.
It is also urgently needed: Audi sold 31,171 all-electric cars in China in 2023, totalling 729,000 new Audis in China. Audi’s EV share was thus less than five per cent. In November, the BEV share in China was 27 per cent; if plug-in hybrids are included, it was even 45.6 per cent. Audi offers a China-specific MEB model in China, the Q5 e-tron, and the Q4 e-tron is also sold there. The German carmaker stopped selling the e-tron GT in China this summer due to a lack of demand.
The Q6L e-tron and the A6L e-tron will actually strengthen Audi’s position in China – Audi’s electric range has been very limited to date. However, whether they will reach the desired target group and be able to build on Audi’s previous successes in China will only become clear in the coming year. In addition to the PPE electric cars from Audi and FAW, the carmaker also plans new electric models for the coming year together with SAIC.