SAIC Group and Audi have reported a successful construction of an industrial complex in China built to produce vehicles under the “AUDI” sub-brand (written in all caps). The highly automated China-only enterprise will be able to deliver up to 360,000 vehicles per year.
According to Audi, the factory will lay a foundation for its next development stage on the country’s market. It will also further the goals of “intelligent electrification” by actively employing AI in manufacturing processes. In particular, most of the welding, painting and assembly routines will be fully automated and unattended by human personnel.
The previously announced AUDI E5 Sportback, which is already available for ordering, will be the first model to reach production there. You can choose from four available powertrains ranging from 299 PS (295 hp / 220 kW) all the way to 787 PS (776 hp / 579 kW), as well as a few battery packs. The longest-range version has 773 km (480 miles) per charge.
All future AUDI vehicles for China will also be made at this factory, but they remain to be announced.
