Located at Beijing, China, the centre houses R&D functions including engine, body, electronics and battery development, a prototype workshop, vehicle test facilities and state-of-the-art 3D development environments.

The new centre will work closely with the development departments of FAW-Volkswagen – the joint-venture of FAW Group Corporation and Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen Automobile (China) Investment Co – and will undertake product customisation for Asian customers, including electronics and connectivity solutions.

‘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, Audi technical development chief. ‘And we can act quickly to include the required features in our cars.’

Audi added that the new centre will expand its cooperation with the R&D facilities of FAW-Volkswagen in many areas.

‘FAW-Volkswagen and Audi have had many fruitful cooperative projects – for example on vehicle electrification, powertrains and infotainment systems. Together, the two partners also cooperated with Tongji University in Shanghai. I have great confidence that the decision to set up the Audi R&D Center Asia in China demonstrates the commitment of AUDI AG to our partnership and to China’s innovation capabilities. It pushes our cooperation onto a new level,’ said An Tiecheng, president of FAW-Volkswagen.

Audi saw record-breaking sales in China last year, with deliveries of 405,838 vehicles up by 30% compared to 2011.