By Ju-min Park BEIJING, April 14 (Reuters) - Trying to regain market share in China, Germany's Audi will launch a third model next year under its new Chinese brand in collaboration with local partner
Audi to Debut Third Electric Model Under New China Brand With SAIC in 2025
Audi's Strategic Expansion in the Chinese Electric Vehicle Market
By Ju-min Park
Introduction of the New Audi Brand in China
BEIJING, April 14 (Reuters) - Trying to regain market share in China, Germany's Audi will launch a third model next year under its new Chinese brand in collaboration with local partner SAIC Motor Corp, the chief executive of the project said on Tuesday.
In 2024, Audi launched a new electric vehicle brand in China whose cars sport just the name AUDI and not its signature four-ring logo, part of its efforts to woo younger customers in the world's largest car market.
Sales Performance of the E5 Sportback
Since September, the automaker has sold a total of 10,000 units of the E5 Sportback, the first model of Audi's series of electric vehicles (EVs) jointly developed with SAIC, said Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi and SAIC Cooperation Project.
He added that E5 sales rebounded to 2,630 units in March after falling sales in January and February due to fading tax effects.
Upcoming Models and Future Plans
The premium marque, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, will launch the fully electric SUV E7X, its second China-only model without the four-ring logo, to market in the second quarter of this year.
Looking Ahead: The Third and Fourth Models
The next one in line for 2027 will be a limousine, but a sporty model for the high-end market, Soneira told a group of foreign journalists in Beijing.
"The third car is already in the pipeline," Soneira said.
Accelerated Development for the Chinese Market
Soneira said the development process in Audi's new China line-up takes two years, which is 30 % to 40 % faster than in Europe, because these cars are developed and designed only for China.
"That means fulfilling, fully concentrating on Chinese requirements and I talk about customer requirements. I talk also about legal requirements," he said.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Keith Weir)
