My CIIE Story • Prominent Platform | Expo aids Audi's switch to electric

Editor's Note: The fifth China International Import Expo is closer as September had come. The "My CIIE Story" activity, which was launched on June 1, has drawn a great deal of attention and many people have shared their experiences related to the expo. A series of works themed on "grand strategy" and "big market" were published in July and August. In September, more stories with the theme "prominent platform", which showcase how the CIIE turns exhibits into commodities and exhibitors into investors, will be released.

I first came to China in 2013 as a senior executive at FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co. During the seven years I was here, I was in charge of the construction and operation of many production bases in cities like Tianjin and Qingdao.

Audi has been in China for more than 30 years and has during this time grown in popularity among Chinese consumers. The past editions of the China International Import Expo have also played a key role in enhancing our popularity in recent times.

At the first CIIE in 2018, Audi debuted its first fully-electric car e-tron, and this marked the beginning of the company's electric transition in China.

The Audi e-tron appeared at the second CIIE again and entered the Chinese market in November 2019. During the third edition, three more cars from the e-tron family were showcased. Audi's Changchun plant manufactured the first locally produced e-tron that same year.

In 2021, the Audi RS e-tron GT and the grandsphere concept car were displayed at the fourth CIIE, demonstrating Audi's commitment to sustainable growth. The company had also sold a combined 7 million cars in China that year, becoming the first luxury car brand to achieve that figure.

The CIIE showcases a number of advantages that China has. They include a huge market, an advanced manufacturing industry, efficient logistics, cutting-edge intelligent and digital technologies, a great business environment, and favorable opening-up policies, all of which create innumerable opportunities for multinationals.

I believe China is key to Audi's long-term success and that the expo is the perfect platform for us to better understand China, seize business opportunities in the country, and find new growth momentum.

Audi will attend this year's CIIE for the fifth consecutive time and this is high on my agenda. I hope to open a new chapter in our company's development through the trade fair.

In the future, Audi will increase investments in research and development in China as well as focus on sectors including electrification, digitalization, intelligence and sustainability to provide Chinese customers with high-quality and personalized products. To this end, we laid a cornerstone for an Audi FAW new energy vehicle production base this June in Changchun, Jilin province. This is Audi's first plant in China that is dedicated to producing electric cars.

The author has been working at Volkswagen Group since 2004 and was appointed president of Audi China on Jan 1, 2022.