Audi launches new sub-brand in China and new AUDI E concept

Audi has partnered with SAIC on a new Chinese sub-brand to better serve the world’s largest car market. The name is AUDI: all capitals, no rings.

The first model from AUDI was previewed at the introduction, the AUDI E, a near-production electric concept that closely previews what will be launched next year. The E is a “sportback”, meaning somewhere between an estate/wagon and a shooting brake.

Its dimensions are: 4,870mm long, 1,990mm in width and 1,460mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,950mm. Its electric powertrain includes two electric motors, with a total of 570 KW of power and four-wheel drive, which AUDI claims will give an acceleration of 0-100kph in 3.6 seconds.

The AUDI E is equipped with a 100-kWh battery, enabling a range of 700km (measured in accordance with CLTC) when fully charged. The Advanced Digitised Platform also boasts an innovative 800-volt architecture with super-fast charging: just 10 minutes of rapid charging is enough for more than 370km of range.

A look at the design reveals a handsome and well proportioned “sportback” form with a long sloping roofline (almost coupé-like from some angles) and broad wheel haunches that establish a strong stance on the road. An interesting departure from the standard hatchback or liftgate is the truncated rear window that fades into an almost flat roof deck, a bit like a notchback coupé. Framing this rear deck are buttresses or fins that keep the overall side profile sleek.

The front and rear light signatures, contained in black bands at each end, wrap around the corners and draw the eye across the front and rear masks. The bands collect headlights, sensors and aerodynamic elements into one composition. The name A U D I is prominently displayed at both ends, but the four rings have been left back in Ingolstadt.

With the interior, the Beijing studio sought to combine Audi comfort with the very latest in Chinese technology, with the electronic wizardry enveloped within elements of the cabin. A pillar-to-pillar 4K touchscreen allows for instrumentation, infotainment, and road monitoring (rear-view mirrors), while the AUDI Assistant – an AI avatar – offers touch and voice controls.

Below this is the AUDI touchbar, a tool for total navigation of controls on the big screen above. Naturally, a smartphone interface is standard, as is an ecosystem of advanced apps and entertainment. Active safety systems are present, of course, to aid driving in China’s vast conurbations. Automated parking features preview more autonomous systems in the future.

Audi has had a long presence in China, and claims to be the first premium Western car company to come to the country, having established an outpost there in 1988. (Others such as AMC, Volkswagen and Peugeot were there before it, of course.) By partnering with SAIC, the largest of China’s “Big Four” state-owned car companies, it is casting its future with the Chinese customer base, and with Chinese government policy regarding New Energy Vehicles.

Audi CEO-at-large Gernot Döllner noted at the launch: “The automotive industry is undergoing the largest transformation in its history. With our partnerships in China, we are playing a decisive role in this transformation. By launching this new brand for electric and intelligent models in China, Audi is breaking new ground to tap into new and more tech-savvy customer segments.”

Indeed, both in Döllner’s comments and in the Audi (or AUDI) press release, the Chinese premium customer is contrasted with those in other markets.

“Chinese premium customers are different from their international counterparts and have different expectations: they are younger than in the rest of the world. They are more tech-savvy. They expect leading connectivity as well as automated driving and, more importantly, an exciting, unmistakable experience in an interior that is both familiar and surprising. “

The new AUDI will be led by Fermin Soneira at CEO, most recently serving as head of Product Line for Electric Models at Audi.