Audi opens R&D Centre for Asia in Beijing

Beijing, February 1, 2013: With the opening of the new Audi R&D Centre Asia in Beijing, Audi AG is further strengthening its innovation capability in Asia and deepening the cooperation with its partner FAW-Volkswagen in China. The R&D teams will be active in product customisation for Asian customers, including electronics and connectivity solutions. The engineers will also develop advanced technologies such as components for new-energy vehicles and efficient powertrains. The centre is part of Audi’s global R&D and will closely cooperate with the development departments of FAW-Volkswagen.

"The new Audi R&D Centre Asia is an important milestone in the internationalisation of our innovation capacities," stated Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at the opening event in Beijing today. "The teams will work in close contact with the customers in Asia. And they will ensure that valuable ideas and innovations from Asia can be integrated into the early conceptual development phase of our products." Audi Design China is part of the R&D Centre, with designers for exterior, interior and colour and trim. The teams get their inspiration from trends in Asia and will transfer new perspectives back to the headquarters in Ingolstadt, where the global design is created.

Asia -- with Europe and the Americas -- is one of the three main pillars for Audi's global strategy. Audi leads the premium segment in China (including Hong Kong) and set a new record in 2012 with deliveries of 405,838 automobiles, an increase of 29.6 percent compared to the previous year. Audi engineers in Beijing have successfully developed tailored infotainment solutions for China, Japan and Korea since 2008 including a touchpad for the navigation system which allows handwritten input of Asian characters. Together with engineers from FAW-Volkswagen, a special Audi connect call-center service for China has been created.

With the new centre, the number of R&D staff in Beijing has increased from 40 to over 300. The R&D functions include engine, body, electronics and battery development, a prototype workshop, vehicle test facilities and state-of-the-art 3D development environments. The laboratories, prototype and R&D workshops cover an area of over 8,000 square meters.

"With this beautiful facility and its highly skilled and motivated designers, engineers and technicians, we are in a unique position to identify the needs of our customers in China and Asia," said Wolfgang Dürheimer, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development of AUDI AG. "And we can act quickly to include the required features in our cars."

Beijing is also the headquarters of Volkswagen Group China, and Audi will closely cooperate with the Volkswagen R&D functions, some of which will be located in the same building at 751 D-Park. "With this R&D centre, Audi is entering a new stage of development in Asia. Consumers in this region, and especially the Chinese consumers, have an increasingly high level of influence on trends in the global automotive industry. And satisfied customers have top priority for Volkswagen Group China and its brands", stated Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group China and a member of the Board of Management of VW Group.