Audi Could Take Desperate Measures To Penetrate World’s Biggest EV Market

In a bid to sell more electric vehicles in China, Audi is reportedly dropping its four-ring emblem on its upcoming models. The information came from unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the automaker’s plans, cited by Automotive News. As of 2023, China is the world’s biggest EV market, representing 59% of global EV sales.

According to one of the sources, Audi’s decision to drop the long-running four-ring logo is due to “brand image consideration.” It’s also a way to reflect Audi’s collaboration with SAIC Motor – one of China’s state-owned automotive brands and one of its four biggest car companies – developing an EV architecture specifically for the Chinese market.

Collaboration With SAIC

Audi has recently launched the Q6L e-tron, a long-wheelbase variant of the Q6 e-tron made exclusively for the Chinese market. However, the partnership with SAIC Motor will give birth to a new architecture called the Advanced Digitized Platform, enabling Audi to “reduce time-to-market by more than 30%,” the automaker said in a statement.

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The first of the three Audi-SAIC EVs will be sold starting next year, which, if the information from the sources holds true, will not be wearing the iconic four-ring emblem. Meanwhile, the sources said a concept vehicle will be shown in November to showcase the new platform, while a total of nine models are on the pipeline until the end of the decade. The new Audi EV Series will reportedly use CATL battery and ADAS from Momenta, a Chinese tech startup.

The Four-Ring Emblem

Audi’s logo has been used by the automaker since to represent the four brands that merged to form Auto Union: Audi, Horch, Wanderer, and DKW. The emblem has been worn by every Audi since the ’60s, including the greatest ones that hit the road. The report didn’t confirm whether the automaker would use a different emblem for its upcoming EVs for China, or just use the Audi wordmark.

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Audi’s current EVs for China are using VW’s EV-dedicated MEB platform and the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), through the automaker’s cooperation with SAIC Motor and FAW. It remains to be seen whether Audi’s decision to bolster its focus on making Chinese EVs will pay off, but it’s a bold one considering the recent trend concerning EV sales.

Source:
Automotive News