Audi has announced a revised division of responsibilities between its two Chinese partners, with FAW Audi focusing on the four-ring brand and SAIC Audi on the AUDI letter-logo brand.

The move follows reports over the past several months about the restructuring. Audi has signed separate strategic agreements with its partners to define brand positioning, strategic priorities and sales channel structures, Audi China said in a statement on October 26th.

Under the agreements, China FAW will focus on the four-ring brand across the new energy vehicle (NEV) and internal combustion engine vehicle segments, while SAIC Audi will concentrate on the Audi brand and the NEV market. The revised arrangements retain Audi's dual-brand, dual-partner structure in China while establishing distinct business priorities for each partner.

The restructuring will be implemented gradually. SAIC Audi can continue selling four-ring models until the end of 2027, Audi said, while after-sales services for both brands, customer support and dealer operations will continue during the transition. However, the company has not specified how sales channels will be managed after this period.

Audi is a sister brand developed specifically for China, using an all-capital-letter logo instead of Audi's traditional four rings. The four-ring brand covers both internal combustion engine and electric vehicles. The division is therefore based on brand positioning rather than a separation between powertrain types, with FAW Audi continuing to compete with other luxury brands and domestic automakers in the NEV market.

A local media outlet reported the planned changes in May. Caijing reported in September that the business separation had largely been finalised, although formal agreements had not been signed at the time. Audi said it would continue expanding the four-ring brand's model range with China FAW, covering NEVs and internal combustion engine vehicles, including the A6L e-tron, Q6L e-tron, and the all-new A5L and A6L.

SAIC Audi will focus on expanding the Audi brand. Its first production model, the E5 Sportback, went on sale in September 2025, followed by its first SUV, the E7X, in May 2026. Audi and SAIC Motor established the Audi Innovation & Technology Center (AITC) in Shanghai on September 3rd to support Audi brand product development. The partners plan to develop four new models based on ADP 2.0 (Advanced Digitized Platform 2.0), with the first scheduled to debut in 2028.

The restructuring coincides with a leadership change in Audi's China operations. Last week, the company announced that former Chery executive Jeff Zhang would succeed Johannes Roscheck as president of Audi China on November 1st.

The revised structure separates the brand responsibilities of Audi's two Chinese partners. Its implementation will require coordination between sales channels during the transition, while the market performance of future Audi models will influence the brand's position.