Audi debuts latest SUV targeting younger customers in China market
FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co made the global debut of the localized all-new Audi Q2L SUV at the ongoing Chengdu Motor Show as part of the Sino-German joint venture’s efforts to better meet the demands of younger customers in China.
Based on Volkswagen’s MQB vehicle platform, the model is the smallest model of Audi’s rapidly expanding Q family, targeted at young people who grow up in the age of the internet and want to buy their first ever premium car, according to the automaker.
FAW-Volkswagen expects around 75 percent of the model’s target consumers to be aged from 26 to 35 with more female consumers than male ones.
“For consumers of premium A-class SUVs who are younger, an ideal choice should represent their characters and also be fun to drive, and the all-new Audi Q2L is such a model,” said Hu Shaohang, vice-president of FAW-Volkswagen Audi Sales Division.
The all-new Audi Q2L is based on the model’s standard wheelbase version. Since its launch in Europe in 2016, it has proved very popular among young people thanks to its eye-catching design, which has won the Red Dot award and its powerful performance.
The carmaker said the Audi Q2L, with a pre-sales price ranging from 226,800 yuan ($33,179.41) to 281,800 yuan, is based on its closer observation of China’s A-class premium SUV segment.
Despite a slowdown of China’s overall SUV sales, premium SUVs have been growing steadily, with the A-class segment registering 10.1 percent growth year-on-year in the first six months of 2018.
Under such circumstances, FAW-Volkswagen has decided to offer two models in the segment — the all-new Audi Q2L and the Q3 — to seize a larger market share.
The two models will complement each other — while the Q3 is more focused on family use, the Q2L targets young individualists who would like to show their personality.
It measures 4,229 millimeters in length, 1,785 mm in width and 1,548 mm in height, and is thus agile in urban traffic conditions. With an extended wheelbase of 2,628 mm, it offers more room — which appeals to Chinese consumers.
The all-new Audi Q2L is available in 10 colors, and sports a 1.4-liter turbocharged
Starting with the all-new Audi Q2L, we will establish a young people-centered marketing system to build a brand that more people love and offer more models they want.”
Hu Shaohang,
engine and an all-new seven-speed S-tronic gearbox. The combination enables the model to have a maximum output of 110 kilowatts and accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds.
The model offers five driving modes for those with different driving habits.
Inside it features a 12.3-inch liquid crystal display dashboard, as well as onboard WiFi.
It has four USB ports and 14 speakers, and the Adaptable Cruise Control comes as standard. FAW-Volkswagen is also planning to update the way it markets itself to focus on young consumers.
“Starting with the all-new Audi Q2L, we will establish a young people-centered marketing system to build a brand that more people love and offer more models they want,” said Hu. The Audi Q2L is one of several Audi SUV models that FAW-Volkswagen is scheduled to introduce into China, Audi’s largest single market worldwide.
It sold 359,781 models in China from January to July, up 17 percent year-on-year, according to the carmaker.
FAW-Volkswagen launched the all-new Audi Q5L in July and the Q8 is about to join them soon. China will be one of the first countries where Audi will offer the e-tron, the carmaker’s first-ever electric SUV, when it hits the market in 2019.
The model, which will be localized in China starting from 2020, boasts “revolutionary breakthroughs”, according to the carmaker. Among other features, it can be fully charged in less than 30 minutes and run for up to 500 km on one charge.
By 2022, Audi’s current product portfolio localized at FAW-Volkswagen will double, according to the carmaker. FAWVolkswagen has been upgrading its already industry-leading production system for those new models. It is investing heavily in its Foshan plant in Guangdong province, which is localizing models including the Audi Q2L.
By the end of 2020, it will be able to produce 600,000 cars a year in Foshan. The plant also excels in automation. Its phase two facility has a fully-automatic pressings workshop and an 80 percent automated welding workshop. The carmaker has also invested 13 billion yuan to build a new plant in Changchun, Jilin province, for the all-new Audi Q5L model.
It has introduced an even stricter quality control system that covers all aspects, ranging from raw materials, to components and to whole cars.