Audi refocuses its priority to accommodate 'new normal'

Premium carmaker adapts to needs of No 2 economy

Rupert Stadler, Audi's chairman and CEO.

German premium carmaker Audi AG is shifting its top priority from sales volume to delivering higher quality and more environmentally friendly products in China, its biggest single market, to cater for the "new normal" of slower growth of the world's No 2 economy.

Rupert Stadler, Audi's chairman and CEO, said in an interview with China Daily last week that the company predicted the "new normal" of China's economy two or three years ago and acknowledged the situation would decelerate the vehicle market.

"We will pay more attention to the quality of our products to meet local customer demand. And then we seek sales volume," Stadler stressed.

"My understanding of the 'new normal' is that the most important thing is to improve people's life quality in China which demands us in the auto industry to provide new technologies," he added.

He said Audi would continue to introduce new products and technologies into China to meet stricter environmental protection requirements and minimize pollution.

The company plans to launch its A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid compact car this year in China as imports and produce large-sized A6 plug-in hybrid sedan in the country next year, he said.

"We will have new sales growth in China in coming years, but it will not always be double digital," he said.

Audi's China sales surged by 18 percent to 578,000 cars last year from 2013, maintaining its 2-decade-long lead in the country's premium car sector.