Shanghai Centre Opens With 300 Staff for China
Audi and its Chinese partner SAIC have opened an engineering hub in Shanghai for the China-exclusive AUDI brand. The centre has around 300 employees and will work on driver assistance and in-cabin artificial intelligence, according to the companies.
In tech news from the car industry, Audi and its Chinese partner SAIC have opened the AUDI Innovation & Technology Center (AITC) in Shanghai, with around 300 employees, to support development of the China-exclusive AUDI brand.
The facility will act as the brand's central engineering hub. It will oversee vehicle programmes from concept definition to readiness for series production.
Its work will include advanced driver assistance systems and in-cabin technologies based on artificial intelligence. These will cover multimodal controls, agentic capabilities and personalised digital functions.
The centre is working with a Chinese AI and cloud platform to build AI models into vehicle architecture at an early stage of development. Its team is also working on the second generation of the Advanced Digitized Platform for future AUDI production vehicles.
Gernot Döllner, chairman of the AUDI management board, called China "a key market for Audi and one of the most dynamic innovation hubs in the automotive industry." He said carmakers there "need to develop close to our customers and rapidly translate new technologies into compelling products."
"In doing so, we are making a targeted investment in our long-term competitiveness in China," Döllner said.
Matthias Pfister is the centre's general manager. Shan Yunwei is deputy general manager.
The Shanghai site brings research, vehicle development and over-the-air software capabilities together. The aim is to shorten model development times and address local demand in the premium segment.
The opening forms part of Audi's China strategy, which includes two joint venture partners and two brand identities. The capitalised AUDI brand was created for the Chinese market in 2024. It combines Audi's chassis, safety and vehicle dynamics engineering with SAIC's digital architecture and software capabilities.
AUDI introduced the E5 Sportback as its first production model in 2025. The E7X all-electric SUV followed in May 2026, and a third model is planned to complete the brand's first-generation line-up.
Fred Schulze, CEO of Audi and SAIC Cooperation, said the centre lets the companies "translate their expectations into our products even more consistently, from the initial idea to software and driver assistance, all the way to continuous digital updates."
