Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossovers/CUVs, Audi, Misc. Auto Shows
Audi Q5 to be built in China
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi Cross Coupe Quattro.
We're less than 12 hours away from seeing the Audi Q5 officially revealed at the Auto China Show in Beijing, and according to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Audi's new cute 'ute will be assembled in Changchun, in northern China. The German rag cited unspecified China-based sources for the information, but Audi isn't answering any questions ahead of the reveal tomorrow. The Q5 is due to hit dealers in Europe later this summer and sales are expected to begin in the States towards the beginning of next year. It's likely we'll hear about Audi's production plans for the Q5 during tomorrow's press conference and you can watch the reveal live on Audi's online media site.
Gallery: Audi Cross Coupe quattro
Gallery: Audi Cross Coupe Quattro
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
akgrown 7:11PM (4/18/2008)
Count me out! I'll stick to the German-made German cars, thank you very much.
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Jason 8:56PM (4/18/2008)
Second that. What the h*ll is Audi thinking? As much as China is improving, it does not have the reputation of quality. Yes, count me out, I will not buy a Chinese-branded vehicle OR a Chinese-made vehicle. Audi should stay within their own league and not blend in with the underdogs. Yes go ahead, bash me, people. Free speech for all.
psarhjinian 10:40PM (4/18/2008)
...because German-built German cars are so reliable. Not.
Seriously. If VW spends the money, there's no reason these won't be just as reliable as a German-built car (I know, damning with faint praise).
Matt 12:59AM (4/19/2008)
I AGREE.
tekdemon 2:23AM (4/19/2008)
lol, as far as I know, Chinese made VW's haven't been any less reliable than Mexican assembled VW's.
I don't really see what the big deal is, BMW builds cars in the USA now too, and VW's opening plants in the US as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they built some Audi's in the US as well.
Quattroporte 7:17PM (4/18/2008)
-Mercedes to invest $21 billion in R&D
-Audi to build car in China
Guess which manufacturer I'll be buying from.
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Quattroporte 7:21PM (4/18/2008)
I wonder if they will be Chinese martket only, though.
Carlos 7:19PM (4/18/2008)
Americans really should stop buying Chinese garbage.
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LeRobert 10:00PM (4/18/2008)
Are you willing to buy all your consumer goods at 4x or 5x the price you pay now? If not, we're all going to have to stick with the PoSs that come out of Chinese factories.
tekdemon 2:38AM (4/19/2008)
And buy what, Vietnamese garbage?
There aren't that many manufacturers left in the US, so even if you didn't want to buy from China you wouldn't be buying from the US. China-bashing is just convenient because China has over a billion people, so they happen to make a huge amount of the stuff we buy, but the truth is that if you look on the clothing labels at the store you'll see places like Myanmar and Bangladesh and Vietnam, or even Italy.
Unless, I suppose, you only shop at American Apparel, in which case your clothes would be made in East Los Angeles by Mexican immigrants for minimum wage.
China's not the only country that makes tons of cheap stuff for us to buy, and not the only country that has a huge trade imbalance with the US. It's just the biggest one.
Carlos 10:07AM (4/19/2008)
I would rather spend more to know that my money stays in the united states rather than it fund the growth of a communistic country.
captainslow 1:10PM (4/19/2008)
haha yeah right, apparently Sen. McCarthy has been reincarnated with the alias of "Carlos". DIRTY RED COMMY'S!! They're a threat to our freedom! How dare they have a president who doesn't have a direct communication channel with the Lord Almighty (unlike Mr. Bush).
NOT.
They have the right to practice whichever form of government they choose. It's actually none of our business. Just because they have a communistic
government doesn't make them any less as human beings.
Ahura 7:21PM (4/18/2008)
Americans stop buying American rubbish..
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ugg.tryptophan 3:36AM (4/19/2008)
im willing boycott bland econocars that get subpar mpg
james 7:34PM (4/18/2008)
And the West's relentless shipping of capability and know-how to the East continues...
When we no longer know how to build anything because we've given it to them on a platter, you'll know who to thank.
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Derek 7:38PM (4/18/2008)
The Germans?
icetraxx 1:09AM (4/19/2008)
We gave everything to the Japanese on a silver platter, and that didn't end badly (at least it is making GM build better cars)... so what is your point? The East is rapidly industrializing and will eventually catch up to the West, and their economy will stagnant when this happens. Then they will have to start innovating to maintain growth...
Seminole 7:44PM (4/18/2008)
I don't see what the big deal is... The paint will have lead in it, the wheels will fall off, the engine will implode, and it will be crushed like a Pringles can when it gets it a crash.
What the hell is Audi thinking! These cars are all about "prestige" and I don't think anyone is gonna want to brag to their friends that their luxury CUV was hecho in China. The GLK will murder this.
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Ben 7:58PM (4/18/2008)
You get what you pay for, if you don't pay them enough to buy decent paint, of course they are going to use lead paint.
I don't see Apple having problems getting quality products from China.
You people are freaking hilarius.
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User 8:25PM (4/18/2008)
An Apple laptop is MUCH more simple than a vehicle. A laptop is a computer, a modern vehicle is a computer AND a mechanical automobile.
Oh yeah, and an Apple laptop doesn't have to protect children and adults within it while it propels going 80 miles per hour.