The production site is Audi's first in China to focus exclusively on purely electric models and will start with the Audi Q6L e-tron series.
Audi FAW NEV, the joint venture between Audi and China FAW Group, today announced the start of production at its plant, marking an important step in Audi's electrification transition in China.
The plant will start with the production of the Audi Q6L e-tron series, followed by the Audi A6 e-tron for the Chinese market.
The production site -- Audi's first in China to specialize in the production of purely electric models -- is located in Changchun, Jilin, where China FAW is headquartered, and has a planned annual capacity of more than 150,000 units.
In the future, about 50 percent of the suppliers will be located within a 30-kilometer radius of the new production site, Audi FAW NEV said.
The local government has planned an exclusive industrial park for the joint venture, and Audi FAW NEV aims to have 90 percent of its suppliers from within the country, it said.
In October 2020, Audi and China FAW signed a memorandum of understanding to co-produce premium electric vehicles in China, the world's largest auto market.
In January 2021, FAW, Audi and the Changchun city government signed an agreement for the joint venture to be located in the northeastern Chinese city.
On March 25, 2021, Audi FAW NEV was founded with a 55 percent stake for Audi, 5 percent for Volkswagen China and 40 percent for China FAW.
The project would develop models based on the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform, a premium EV platform that draws on components and technology modules from the Volkswagen MEB ((Modular electric drive matrix)) and Porsche J1 architectures.
The plant was planned to have a total investment of over RMB 30 billion yuan ($4.1 billion), with the first model set to go into production in 2024, according to a previous announcement.
Audi FAW NEV would invest RMB 15.8 billion in the initial phase, and is expected to build plants and supporting facilities to meet an annual production capacity of 150,000 EVs.
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