Audi Appoints Former Chery CEO Jeff Zhang as China President
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Audi announced on Thursday that former Chery brand CEO Jeff Zhang will take over as president of Audi China on November 1, replacing Johannes Roscheck.
Rolf Michl, chairman of the management board of Audi Sport GmbH, steps in on the same date as chief operating officer to form a dual-leadership board of management with Zhang.
Roscheck, who has led Audi China since April 2024, will hand over duties before returning to Ingolstadt in early 2027, while Rouven Mohr assumes interim leadership of Audi Sport GmbH on November 1.
The Two-Brand Joint Venture Split
The management overhaul accompanies an operational division of Audi’s manufacturing partnerships in China. Under the updated operating structure, SAIC Audi will handle exclusively the AUDI sister marque, while FAW Audi retains the legacy four-ring emblem covering combustion and global electric vehicle lineups.
The standalone AUDI brand drops the classic four interlocking rings in favor of capital letters tailored specifically for buyers in mainland China. On September 3, Audi and SAIC Motor established the AUDI Innovation & Technology Center in Shanghai to engineer dedicated models for that portfolio.
Zhang brings more than 20 years of automotive operations experience to the role. He previously served as vice president of Chery International, directed Chery’s European division, managed Chinese operations for Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles under Stellantis, and worked at Nissan across Japan and North America. Between 2018 and 2020, Zhang worked within Audi China to build the sales footprint at SAIC Audi and steer joint projects with FAW Audi.
“On September 3, Audi and SAIC Motor established the AUDI Innovation & Technology Center in Shanghai to engineer dedicated models for that portfolio.”
Foreign Luxury Marques Under Local Pressure
Foreign premium automakers in China face severe volume contraction as domestic electric brands eat away at traditional luxury segment dominance. By putting a Chinese automotive veteran at the helm, Audi is shortening regional reporting lines to counter pricing pressure and faster product iteration from domestic carmakers.
German premium brands spent decades relying on centralized vehicle designs. That playbook failed to anticipate how fast Chinese buyers shifted toward connected software platforms, leaving legacy imported architectures exposed in dealership showrooms.
Dual-Leadership Architecture at the Operating Level
Michl balances the commercial side with product experience from Audi’s performance business. He has run Audi Sport GmbH since September 2022, managing RS high-performance cars and Audi exclusive customization programs after starting in product marketing in 2007.
The split board answers directly to Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner, who is restructuring international divisions to defend Chinese sales volumes. Dividing the executive mandate allows Zhang to negotiate regional dealer networks while Michl protects component integration with global platforms.
First Joint EV Platform Targets 2028 Debut
The leadership transition follows two months of structural reorganisation across Audi’s Chinese corporate footprint. SAIC Audi and FAW Audi operated overlapping showrooms for years, complicating sales operations and discounting discipline across provincial dealer groups.
SAIC and Audi plan to develop four production models on the co-developed ADP 2.0 platform through the new Shanghai engineering center. The first electric model from that pipeline is scheduled to reach the market in 2028.