THE AUDI E5 SPORTBACK WAS JUST CROWNED CHINA'S CAR OF THE YEAR - IN A MARKET THAT SOLD OVER 31 MILLION CARS IN 2025, THAT'S BOSS
Winning China Car of the Year is no small feat. Winning it as a brand that’s barely a year old? That’s pretty nukken futs. Yet that’s exactly what the AUDI E5 Sportback has done, taking the 2026 China Car of the Year title in a market absolutely drowning in electric metal, much of it aggressively priced, smartly engineered and built at a frightening pace. This isn’t Audi as we know it with four rings and a long European accent, though; this is AUDI in all caps, a new brand born specifically for China, blending Audi’s engineering DNA with the country’s hyper-advanced digital ecosystem. And judging by the trophies piling up, the formula is working rather well.
Voted for by a panel of industry media experts, the E5 Sportback becomes the first model from a newly established brand to take the China Car of the Year crown just one year after launch. Since its debut, the E5 has already racked up awards like Most Popular Premium Car, Intelligent Premium Sedan of the Year, Best Handling Sedan of the Year and Best Design Sedan of the Year. At this point, it may need a bigger shelf. Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG, sees the win as validation of a carefully aimed strategy. By running two brands in parallel and deeply integrating local innovation, AUDI is carving out space in what is easily the most competitive EV market on the planet. Feedback from both consumers and experts suggests the transformation toward electrification and intelligent, connected mobility in China is not just on track, but gathering speed.
At the heart of the E5 Sportback’s success is its positioning. This car isn’t trying to out-China China. Instead, it delivers something uniquely hybrid: Audi’s driving dynamics, quality and safety, paired with seamless integration into China’s digital-first lifestyle. Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi and SAIC cooperation project, describes it as “the best of both worlds”, aimed squarely at a new generation of Chinese buyers who expect their car to be as connected and intelligent as their phone.
The AUDI E5 Sportback is a fully electric four-door fastback with sleek, dynamic proportions and serious performance credentials. With outputs of up to 579 kW, it can sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds, while still offering a maximum range of up to 770 km. Four powertrain options are available, with rear-wheel drive or quattro all-wheel drive configurations, allowing buyers to choose their preferred flavour of performance and efficiency. Underneath, the E5 rides on the new Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP), designed from the ground up for next-generation connectivity. Over-the-air updates are standard, keeping the car’s software and systems evolving long after it leaves the showroom. In a market where tech relevance ages faster than tyres, that matters.
The rise of AUDI has been swift. The brand launched in Shanghai in November 2024, with the E5 Sportback making its production debut at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2025. Production began in August at the dedicated AUDI Intelligent Production Site in Shanghai, built to Audi’s global manufacturing standards. Order books opened the same day, and customer deliveries followed the official market launch in September. At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2025, the AUDI E SUV concept was unveiled as the brand’s second concept, signalling its intent to tackle the premium electric SUV segment next. That promise becomes reality in 2026 with the launch of the AUDI E7X, a production model derived from that concept. In a market where standing out is brutally difficult and loyalty is earned, not inherited, the AUDI E5 Sportback’s China Car of the Year win sends a clear message that AUDI is serious about world domination.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the crew at Autogefühl as they take a proper close look at the China-only E5 Sportback. It certainly ticks all the boxes for a car that's set to win a Car of the Year title: The surprising Audi without rings?! Audi E5 Sportback exclusive driving REVIEW | Autogefühl