AUDI – NO LONGER THE 4 RINGS – KICKS OFF A NEW ERA IN CHINA WITH THE E5 SPORTBACK PRODUCTION.
Something big just happened in Shanghai: Audi has dropped the four rings. Sort of. Meet AUDI - spelt all-caps, no rings - a bold new sub-brand created specifically for China, where the rules of the premium car game are changing faster than you can say “EV.” This isn’t just a badge tweak, though; it’s the launch of a parallel identity designed to give Chinese customers exactly what they want, exactly when they want it. Rooted in the same Vorsprung durch Technik DNA that’s carried Audi for more than a century, AUDI is carving its own lane - one that’s digital-first, hyper-connected, and developed in record time through a partnership with local giant SAIC.
The first model in this brave new world is the AUDI E5 Sportback, a four-door fastback EV that just rolled off the line at a dedicated factory in Anting, Shanghai. Pre-sales kicked off immediately on August 18, with first deliveries starting in September - a launch speed that makes Europe look like it’s still sending specs by fax. Here’s the headline: up to 579 kW, a 0-100 km/h sprint in just 3.4 seconds, and a maximum range of 770 km. Customers get four different powertrain options, including quattro all-wheel drive, all built on the brand-new Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP). That means full-car over-the-air updates and next-gen connected-car smarts straight out of the box. Dimensionally, the E5 stretches 4,881 mm long, 1,959 mm wide, and 1,478 mm tall - right in the heart of the midsize premium EV fastback segment.
The AUDI brand is about speed in every sense. By splitting its engineering teams across Ingolstadt and China, the company claims it’s cut development times by 30%. That shaves years off the manufacturing pipeline. A fresh production site has also been carved out at the SAIC Volkswagen plant in Anting, where around 700 employees are focused solely on building AUDI models. It’s a factory fitted with AI-driven quality control and fully digitalised production management. This isn’t a half-hearted JV.
The E5 Sportback is just the beginning. Two more AUDI models are slated to arrive within the next two years, all built in China for China. Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi-SAIC project, put it bluntly: “Every vehicle from AUDI embodies the best of both worlds: iconic design, premium quality, driving emotion – fused with China’s digital ecosystem and innovation culture.”
Globally, Audi is doubling down on EVs under its traditional four-ring banner. But China is a different beast. It’s the most competitive EV market in the world, flooded with local players pumping out affordable tech-laden cars. To survive - let alone thrive - a premium brand has to move at warp speed. That’s what AUDI is designed to do. The irony? While the rest of the world is buying up budget Chinese EVs, China’s wealthiest customers still want premium badges with European credibility - as long as the tech feels native. AUDI is Ingolstadt’s answer to that balancing act. Come summer 2025, when the E5 Sportback hits Chinese roads properly, we’ll see if dropping the rings was just a gimmick or the start of a very real new chapter for one of Germany’s most iconic carmakers.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the chaps at CARVIEW as they take a detailed look at the pre-production version of the upcoming AUDI E5 Sportback, a China-only luxury EV: All-New Audi E5 Sportback - The Future of the Audi EV? | CARVIEW
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!