HERNDON, VA - Audi AG established Audi (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Beijing, on April 18. Its business purpose is to coordinate all Audi activities in China, in close cooperation with the Changchun-based joint venture FAW-VW. The new company's activities will include operating a test center for infotainment systems in Beijing.

"The establishment of the new company represents another milepost in the success story of Audi AG in China and gives us greater proximity to our second home market," remarked Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG.

Qin Huanming, vice president of the FAW Automotive Group, declared: "We welcome Audi AG's presence in China. This move will significantly improve the lines of communication between Ingolstadt and China and facilitate even closer cooperation with our joint venture partner."

The company will be headed by Dietmar Voggenreiter, who has already been steering Audi AG's operations in China from Ingolstadt for more than two years.

Audi (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd. will work in close partnership with the FAW-VW Audi Sales Division in Changchun, the responsibilities of which are unaffected by the establishment of the Beijing representation.

Johannes Thammer, managing director of the Audi Sales Division, will remain in charge of Sales of both locally-built and imported Audi models.

Audi entered the Chinese market in 1988 and sold some 120,000 vehicles there last year. To handle increasing demand, the cornerstone was laid last year for an additional assembly hall. Production of the Audi Q5 is scheduled to begin there from the end of 2009.