Audi unveils its new Chinese brand with SAIC which will arrive in 2025 with an electric car

Audi unveiled its new brand in China. This presents an image that remove the four rings at the front and rear of the vehicleto give way to the written iconography of “Audi” with which it will try to reach a younger audience in the Asian giant, as part of its collaboration for the manufacture of vehicles in the local market with SAIC.

The “joint venture”, created a year ago, aims to increase its presence in the world’s largest automotive market, where It plans to launch its first vehicle in the summer of 2025.

This car, still at the prototype stage, should have a length of 4.8 meters and almost 1.5 meters high with a distance between the axles close to three meters. The Audi E concept, as the future vehicle has been named, is positioned as a fully electric “sportback” with a 570 kilowatts of power that allows you to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.6 seconds.

This “concept car” is equipped with a Battery with a capacity of 100 kWhwhich makes it possible to obtain a range of 700 kilometers. The advanced digital platform also features an 800-volt architecture with ultra-fast charging. In just 10 minutes, according to the manufacturer, more than 370 kilometers of autonomy could be recovered.

In addition to the upcoming “sportback,” the automobile association plans to introduce two other cars, including a sports utility vehicle, over the next three years.

The new EV series uses a automotive architecture developed jointly with SAIC and, according to Audi, this will depend more on local suppliers and technologies than on imported equipment.

The intention of the EV series is to attract young drivers looking for high-end, technologically well-equipped vehicles with advanced driver assistance and infotainment systems.

“The automotive industry is undergoing the biggest transformation in its history. With our associations in China, we are playing a decisive role in this process,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner at the presentation of the new image in Shanghai .

Audi sold fewer than 15,000 electric cars in China in the first nine months of 2024according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers consulted by Europa Press. Compared to other local brands in the premium segment such as Xpeng or Niu, the German group recorded between seven and ten times less than its local competitors.