Audi Australia has ruled out selling China-built models here for now, drawing a clear line with Volkswagen, which is preparing to export one or more Chinese-made vehicles to Australia. The comments were made at the launch of the new Audi RS5 in Tasmania and were framed as the position “as of today”, not a permanent ban.
Product chief Matthew Dale said Audi is open to other manufacturing sources, “but at this stage China isn’t one of them for the Australian market as of today.” The current Audi range, including the Q5, will continue to come from the brand’s established plants outside China.
Why Audi is saying no, for now
Dale said China-specific models such as the Audi E5 Sportback were developed solely for the Chinese market and cannot currently be exported. The same applies to traditional joint-venture, long-wheelbase versions of cars such as the Q5 and A4, which were built for China and are not available to ship here.
“What the future holds, we can’t say yet, but that will obviously be dictated by market movements,” he said. The door is not locked forever; it is closed on the evidence available today.
Audi Australia director Jeff Mannering described the issue as more of a Volkswagen Group decision than a local Audi one. He told the Group board that Australia is about the fourth-largest market for Chinese vehicle imports, helped by the absence of tariffs, and that the local market had gone from “two or three” Chinese brands to 22 in about 18 months, with more still to arrive. “You need to be ready because it’s going to come everywhere in the world,” he said.
How that differs from Volkswagen
Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer has said the company is starting to export to markets with easier access from China, “such as Australia and the Middle East,” and is “getting ready for bringing one or more vehicles in from China.” Volkswagen Australia has not named the models involved, or a local on-sale date.
The wider Group already sells at least one China-built passenger vehicle here: the Cupra Tavascan, built at Volkswagen’s Anhui plant. That does not change Audi’s current Australian stance, and it should not be read as a confirmed path for Audi-badged cars from the same country.
For buyers, the practical point is simple. If you want an Audi from the current local range, the cars on sale are not being sourced from China. If you are waiting for a China-only Audi such as the E5 Sportback, there is no Australian export path at the moment. Any change would need a fresh decision from the Group and a local announcement.
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