Zeekr 08 Launches Amid Marketing Expert Li Pengcheng’s Appointment

Back and forth, Li Pengcheng has returned to Volkswagen. Over the past ten years, he has changed jobs repeatedly, returning to the place where his dreams began, and taking on the most challenging position.

This well-known figure in the automotive industry has officially announced his appointment as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Volkswagen Anhui, taking full responsibility for brand marketing, digital sales, and user operations.

Li Pengcheng, after years of career transitions, has returned to the Volkswagen Group, while Volkswagen Anhui urgently needs a leader skilled in communications. The two sides quickly reached a mutual agreement, both standing at a critical juncture where they must prove themselves.

The name Li Pengcheng may be unfamiliar to many, but he is a well-known figure in the automotive industry.

In 2002, Li Pengcheng began his career at FAW-Volkswagen. At that time, this young man, who graduated from Dalian University of Foreign Languages with a major in German, was responsible for managing the daily operations of 300 German employees at the Changchun factory, and gradually became a "Germany expert."

In 2010, Li Pengcheng began to rise to prominence, stepping out from behind the scenes to become the corporate spokesperson for FAW-Volkswagen, and subsequently served as Head of Public Relations at the General Manager's Office of FAW-Volkswagen and Director of Public Relations for the Volkswagen brand at FAW-Volkswagen.

Public relations and marketing became the foundation of Li Pengcheng's standing in the automotive industry.

With the advent of the electrification wave, Li Pengcheng also stepped out of his comfort zone. In 2017, he left FAW-Volkswagen to become a co-founder of the automotive media platform "YouCheYiHou" (YCYH). In 2019, he joined XPeng Motors, returning to his familiar field of brand and public relations as General Manager of Brand and PR. He later concurrently served as Vice President of XPeng and was reassigned in 2022 as CEO Assistant at XPeng.

In February 2023, Li Pengcheng began serving as Vice President at AVATR Technology, overseeing brand planning, product communication, and user experience. In September 2025, Li Pengcheng joined the leading intelligent driving company Momenta as Vice President. Six months later, he officially announced his move to join Volkswagen Anhui.

Over the past decade or so, Li Pengcheng has changed at least five companies, spanning the fields of automobile manufacturing, intelligent driving, and automotive media, making him an expert well-versed in automotive-related communication and marketing.

And this is exactly what Volkswagen Anhui needs the most right now.

Among the multinational car manufacturers, Volkswagen was one of the early movers in the layout of electric vehicles. Whether it's the ID. series from SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, or the Zhong series from Volkswagen Anhui, they all vividly demonstrate Volkswagen's efforts in the electrification transformation in China.

However, the Chinese market is a land of opportunity, yet also a battlefield. To build a good car, one must also promote it effectively; the market will not give automakers time for warm-up.

To win this tough battle, Volkswagen first adopted XPeng’s technology, and now has brought on board Li Pengcheng, a former XPeng executive—demonstrating Volkswagen’s unwavering determination to make a major push in the new energy vehicle sector.

For this, Volkswagen Anhui has set 2026 as a major product year, with four new models set to be launched sequentially this year, including a new model based on the CEA architecture in collaboration with Xpeng.

The first battle between Volkswagen Anhui and Li Pengcheng was precisely the marketing launch of Zhong 08.

As the first jointly developed model between Volkswagen and XPeng, the Zhong Yu 08 is packed with XPeng’s technological innovations—spanning advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and intelligent cockpits—with hardware specifications already highly competitive; now, it’s merely awaiting effective marketing and communications. Ensuring robust market buzz before and after the Zhong Yu 08’s launch will truly test Li Pengcheng’s mettle as a PR professional.

It can be said that the C-TREK 08 is Volkswagen Anhui's counterattack, as well as Li Pengcheng's proof of capability.

From product definition to communication rhythm, from channel layout to user engagement, every step is a tough battle. Volkswagen Anhui cannot afford to lose, and Li Pengcheng cannot afford to lose either.