- Audi will build "a new member" of its A3 compact family at a new assembly plant in Foshan in southern China, beginning in 2013.
- The addition of the second plant will more than double Audi's annual production capacity in China to 700,000 cars.
- Audi also plans to expand its capacity at the FAW-VW joint-venture plant in Changchun.
FOSHAN, China — Audi said it plans to build "a new member" of its A3 compact family at a new assembly plant in Foshan in southern China, beginning in 2013.
The Foshan complex will be a full manufacturing facility, with stamping, welding, paint and assembly operations. Annual production capacity is 150,000-200,000 cars.
Audi also is planning to expand production at the FAW-VW joint venture in Changchun in northern China, boosting annual capacity to 500,000-550,000 cars. The Changchun plant currently assembles long-wheelbase versions of the A4 and A6 sedans, as well as the Q5 crossover.
The moves are part of FAW-VW's $4-billion upgrade and expansion of its facilities in China, where Audi is the leading premium brand, with annual sales up 32 percent through the first nine months.
Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler said, "In order to be able to tackle future challenges together as well, we want to strengthen our presence significantly in China and further strengthen our strategic partnership. The new plant is an important milestone in our long-term growth strategy in China."
Inside Line says: China remains Audi's largest market outside Germany, with sales comfortably ahead of those in the U.S.
Add A Comment »
andres3 says:
02:48 PM, 01/06/2012
I'm still MORE concerned over VW/Audi's built in Mexico/Us than China.
thelosers says:
12:01 PM, 12/05/2011
No thanks Audi. I am not paying 32k for an A3 Made in china. That's a deal breaker. What little consideration you had from me for a future purchase of this car is now gone. You make some really nice cars, but lets face it, you're reliability was definitely suspect (and expensive to fix). Now that this car will me built in china, that's it. Game over.
wjtinatl says:
09:19 PM, 12/02/2011
And to think we were concerned about Passat's built in Tennessee.