Electric cars from Audi and SAIC: will Audi drop the rings?

According to a media report, the electric cars from the cooperation between Audi and SAIC could be sold in China without the famous four-ring brand logo. Apparently on Audi's initiative.

The Reuters news agency reports, citing insiders, that Audi wants to differentiate itself from its models already on sale in China and give the new electric cars a fresher image. Hence, Audi’s four-ring emblem was omitted. What will replace the brand logo on the front and rear of the new electric vehicles should become clear in November at the latest. Audi plans to present its first models from the development work with Chinese manufacturer SAIC that month.

The collaboration between the two sides was first confirmed in July 2023, with rumours already circulating beforehand. Information on the cooperation has been sparse so far. When the final agreement was signed, the duo only mentioned the development of a joint ‘Advanced Digitised Platform.’ As the first model will be launched on the market next year, it will presumably not be a completely new platform, but rather an Audi-specific modification of an existing platform.

There are also no further details on the model, which will be sold in China starting in 2025. In an earlier announcement, Audi stated that it intends to use the SAIC partnership to introduce electric models in segments not currently covered in China. Audi currently offers the MEB models Q4 e-tron and Q5 e-tron in China. The latter has nothing in common with the combustion model (built in Mexico), but is the Audi offshoot of the VW ID.6 X, an electric SUV for the Chinese market. Both models roll off the production line together in Anting. In April, Audi presented the Chinese version of its first PPE model, the Q6 e-tron, at Auto China in Beijing. The vehicle is built by FAW-Audi in its own PPE plant.

According to an earlier Reuters report, Audi could shorten the time to market launch by over 30 per cent thanks to the SAIC cooperation. The German carmaker needs the support of the Chinese against the background that the new Group platform SSP is likely to be delayed by several years. Audi wants to remain “able to deliver” until the delayed launch of the VW electric flagship Trinity (and thus the new Group platform SSP). The market launch of the Trinity is not expected until 2029 (in some cases, there is even talk of 2030), so no Audi model on this platform can be expected any earlier. According to the original schedule, the Trinity was to debut in 2026.