An autonomous Audi vehicle attracts visitors' attention on Aug 26 in Hefei, Anhui province. (ZHANG DANDAN / CHINA DAILY)

Audi is ready to herald a new stage of development in China, its largest global market, said Werner Eichhorn, president of the premium German brand's operations in the country.

"Without being over-ambitious, when I left the market, we were already number one. So, of course we'd like to consolidate this position," said Eichhorn on Friday, one day ahead of the Beijing auto show.

He was the first president of FAW-Volkswagen's Audi sales division, from 2005 to 2008. Back then, Audi had the absolute advantage over all the other automakers in the country's premium vehicle segment, leaving even its nearest rival far behind.

Audi has sold over 6 million vehicles bearing the four-ring logo in China, outnumbering other brands despite their success in dethroning the long-term sales champion in the past two years.

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"We were the first, we have the highest number of customers here in the market, we are the most liked brand, we have huge capacities, great potential. Yes, we have the ambition to be everywhere: customer satisfaction, quality, we'd like to be the number one," said Eichhorn, who took the helm of Audi China in April.

The novel coronavirus epidemic did not stop Eichhorn from paving for the way for the brand's development in China, and his three years spent in China and friendship forged during that period have helped.

"The good thing is, I know a lot of people still, and that feels good. They are now in even higher positions, and this gives us a chance to talk openly and directly," he said.

The outcome of those meetings has been satisfactory for both: both of them are optimistic about the brand's future business in China, and they have given it a name: another golden decade for Audi in the Chinese market.

They have also reached agreements on how to push forward local partnership.

"We spent a lot of time discussing it, agreeing on it, and now we are in the position to move on it. And of course, we'd like to generate a win-win situation out of that."

Audi and FAW are looking to the next decade of their joint business, and the decisions made are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. What is known is that as part of its plan for the next golden decade of growth in China, Audi will produce 12 models in China by 2022.

What has made Eichhorn even more assured is his boss' decision. Markus Duesmann became CEO of Audi in April, and he soon decided to take charge of the brand's business in China, and decided to join the board of its Chinese joint venture FAW-Volkswagen.

"He made a very good decision in our view. From now on he is in direct contact with our Chinese colleagues. So that was a really key decision for the Chinese market."

"You know how important it is to be aligned and to be fast, because the market is transforming very quickly. If you don't have a close link and cannot act, you have a handicap," he said.

Audi is prepared in terms of products and services, covering both gasoline cars and electrified vehicles.

Under its Roadmap E, the brand will have more than 30 electrified models in the market globally by 2025, and they are expected to account for a 40 percent of Audi's total global sales.

At this year's Beijing auto show, the Q4 e-tron is catching visitors' eyes, as the first electric Audi model developed on Volkswagen Group's electric-car only MEB platform. Audi is also building a platform called PPE with Porsche.

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The brand is also displaying a China-produced e-tron SUV at the auto show. Its local production is already localized in Changchun, Jilin province, in October. Audi said it will offer six more electrified models in China by the end of 2021.

At this year's Beijing auto show, the Q5L Sportback, which is especially designed for Chinese customers, and the Q5 Sportback are making their global debuts. Other models on show include the RS5, and the RS Q8.

"Because even in 10 years, if everything goes in the direction of electrification, but still then we have 50 percent existing ICE (internal combustion engine) business. Therefore, you have to be good in both," said Eichhorn.

Contact the writer at lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn