Audi debuted a brand new China-only luxurious model this week, revealing an idea automotive as a part of the announcement. The brand new model’s identify? AUDI. The capital letters are essential to differentiate it from Audi. How are you aware the automotive is an AUDI as an alternative of an Audi? It says AUDI on the entrance finish rather than the Audi 4 rings. The idea automotive known as the AUDI E Idea, and whereas the AUDI doesn’t actually seem like an Audi total, the AUDI does have some Audi design cues that tie it into Audi whereas preserving it distinctly AUDI.
A enjoyable truth I didn’t know is that Audi was the primary “premium automotive model” to enter the Chinese language market again in 1988, and Audi’s expertise available in the market is why it determined to create AUDI, which is being developed as a three way partnership with Shanghai-based SAIC Motor. Three manufacturing fashions shall be coming subsequent 12 months on a brand new Superior Digitized Platform structure that was labored on by SAIC and Audi groups in Germany and China. Right here’s what Audi needed to say concerning the firm within the AUDI press launch:
AUDI is formed 100-percent by the Audi DNA and embodies “Vorsprung durch Technik” within the period of electrical clever related automobiles. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “The automotive trade is present process the biggest transformation in its historical past. With our partnerships in China, we’re enjoying a decisive position on this transformation.” On the similar time, Chinese language premium prospects are totally different from their worldwide counterparts and have totally different expectations: they’re youthful than in the remainder of the world. They’re extra tech-savvy. They count on main connectivity in addition to automated driving and, extra importantly, an thrilling, unmistakable expertise in an inside that’s each acquainted and stunning.
The wants and needs of those premium buyer teams are the benchmark and specification sheet for the joint improvement workforce from Audi and SAIC. This workforce has been arrange with Fermín Soneira from Audi because the CEO.
Soneira, previously the long-standing Head of Product Line for Electrical Fashions at Audi, steers the partnership with 25 years of intensive expertise throughout the Volkswagen Group. “Our cooperation displays the spirit of ‘the perfect of each worlds’ and has been set as much as collectively manage improvement, buying, manufacturing, and gross sales,” stated Fermín Soneira. “With each events contributing their core strengths, I firmly imagine Audi will proceed to form the way forward for premium electrical mobility by integrating the innovation power of the market.”
The brand new joint program affords the perfect of two worlds in automotive improvement. It combines the strengths of Audi with SAIC’s innovation velocity. Audi brings know-how in premium merchandise and design, total car improvement, and engineering to the desk. SAIC affords quick improvements, a well-established expertise ecosystem, and deep perception into the native market’s calls for. The results of this mixture: the Superior Digitized Platform.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner stresses: “The joint platform would be the foundation for a brand new technology of state-of-the-art clever related automobiles unique to China. The upcoming fashions are geared toward a promising and concurrently demanding new buyer phase. The cooperation will additional develop the Audi portfolio of battery electrical automobiles (BEV) in China and speed up the corporate’s transformation on the earth’s largest market.” The primary three BEV fashions shall be within the mid-size and full-size segments (B and C. The collaboration mannequin reduces time-to-market by greater than 30%, with the primary mannequin to start gross sales in 2025.
So there you go. AUDI is totally different than Audi, however AUDI continues to be Audi at its core, though AUDI can be SAIC. Makes complete sense. As for the E Idea? I believe it seems to be fairly nice. AUDI says its design was tailor-made for Chinese language prospects, and the E takes the type of a wagon-y Sportback with a really sloping roofline that also appears to supply a ton of inside house. At 191.7 inches lengthy the E Idea is 5 inches shorter than an Audi RS6, however each wagons are the identical peak of 57.5 inches tall, and the AUDI’s wheelbase is an inch longer.
Its fenders are rounded and actually bulging, and total the AUDI’s clean surfacing is a departure from present Audis. The entrance and rear ends have wraparound black bars that comprise all the primary lights and sensors (plus the AUDI logos), with the middle panels getting additional triangular lights which are very Audi. This remedy is “radically new, iconic, and characterful,” in accordance with AUDI. One other cool component is the middle CHMSL appearing as a mount for the dramatic floating spoiler.
AUDI says lots of the individuals who labored on the E Idea beforehand labored at Audi’s Beijing design studio, so it has been designed to fulfill the particular wants of Chinese language prospects. Says AUDI, which means the workforce “prioritized the mixture of the consolation the model is thought for and seamless integration of expertise. Customers thus expertise the AUDI E idea a trendy, comfy, and related oasis match for the city way of life in China’s megacities.”
There’s a curved 4K touchscreen that runs throughout the complete width of the dashboard, with screens for the rear-view cameras added to the ends. The door panels have unbelievable “lamella” tiered wooden sections which are illuminated, together with tons of microfiber upholstery and different wooden bits all through the cabin. The ambient lighting usually seems to be actually incredible, and there are cool blocky design components to items just like the arm rests.
A brand new AUDI OS infotainment system exhibits “all essential data” with no need to dive into menus, and it affords a strong app retailer. There’s additionally a brand new AI avatar known as the AUDI Assistant, positioned as a contact management within the middle of the sprint, that “conveys emotional suggestions when interacting,” and the AUDI Management contact bar on the middle console can management something on the primary screens and “adapts contextually to any perform or content material customers are interacting with.”
AUDI says the E Idea has an electrical motor at every axle that give it Audi Quattro all-wheel drive and outputs of 764 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, adequate for a 0-to-62-mph time of three.6 seconds. Its 100-kWh battery pack offers it a variety of 435 miles on the Chinese language CLTC cycle, and the 800-volt structure means it may possibly acquire 230 miles of vary in 10 minutes of charging. AUDI says it “drives like an actual Audi by way of consolation in addition to dynamics,” however that it additionally has China-specific driver-assistance options.
The upcoming AUDIs are absolutely not going to come back to the USA, however perhaps a few of the expertise options may. If you happen to’re visiting China over the subsequent few years, and also you’re not sure should you’re an AUDI or an Audi, simply bear in mind: AUDIs say AUDI whereas Audis have 4 rings, though some Audis additionally say Audi in locations.
