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Audi has launched the “AUDI” brand in China, with a logo featuring a combination of “AUDI” letters, in a bid to utilize China's supply chain to create EV models that cater to local consumer preferences.
Volkswagen's premium brand Audi and SAIC Motor have jointly launched a new brand “AUDI” in China and unveiled its first concept car, the E concept, in a bid to utilize China's supply chain to create competitive electric vehicle (EV) models.
Audi unveiled the “AUDI” brand at an event yesterday, with the logo featuring a combination of the “AUDI” letters instead of Audi's iconic four-ring logo. The launch of the new brand signals a new phase in Audi's partnership with SAIC to accelerate the creation of products that cater to the preferences of Chinese consumers.
On May 20, SAIC announced that it had signed a cooperation agreement with Audi to jointly develop a number of high-end smart EVs for the joint venture SAIC Audi and to jointly develop the Advanced Digitized Platform. The two companies were combining resources to jointly develop a range of EV models, with the first product expected to go on sale in 2025, SAIC said in a May statement. Under the AUDI brand, the development cycle for a new car has been shortened to 12 months from the previous 18 months.
The AUDI brand has a more flexible decision-making process than Audi's two joint ventures in China, FAW Audi and SAIC Audi, and is expected to react more quickly to changes in the local market. The CEO of the new brand is Song Feiming, who is equal in rank to the president of Audi China. The new project is not a pilot one, but a long-term project for the next 10 years, Song said.
A concept car called the E concept was unveiled at yesterday's event and it is already 95 percent close to production, with an official launch set for the first half of next year. The concept is based on the Advanced Digitized Platform and is a B-segment Sportback. It has a shooting brake look, similar to Nio's (NYSE: NIO) ET5 Touring.
It measures 4,870 millimeters in length, 1,990 millimeters in width and 1,460 millimeters in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,950 millimeters. The dimensions fall between those of the Audi A4L and A6L.
The AUDI E concept is equipped with a lithium ternary battery pack from CATL with a capacity of 100 kWh and 800-volt charging technology. It has a CLTC range of over 700 kilometers on a full charge and can get a range of up to 370 kilometers on a 10-minute charge. Its smart driving hardware system includes a roof-mounted LiDAR, and the software system is from local startup Momenta, which will have smart driving capabilities on highways and in urban areas.
Momenta, whose majority shareholder is SAIC, has already developed city NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) capabilities for SAIC's IM Motors that don't require HD maps.
Earlier this month, local media outlet 21jingji reported that a production version of the concept will go into production next August at a plant in Anting, Shanghai, with the key competitor being the Nio ET5 Touring. In terms of price range, it will also be similar to the Nio ET5 Touring, at the RMB 300,000 ($41,970) level, according to the report.
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