Audi's Most Interesting EV Is Only for China

The Lucid-like concept car previews upcoming models from Audi's new China-exclusive AUDI sub-brand.

AUDI E Concept

Photo by: Audi

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Nov 7, 2024 at 1:30pm ET

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The AUDI E Concept previews future production EVs built exclusively for the Chinese market.
It has 764 horsepower from two electric motors and has a claimed range of 435 miles.
AUDI is a new Audi sub-brand created through a partnership between Audi and SAIC Motor.

Audi partnered with SAIC Motor on a new sub-brand to build cars exclusively for the Chinese market. The fledgling company is called AUDI—all caps—and is "shaped 100-percent by the Audi DNA" with one notable exception. You won't see four-rings badging anywhere on its cars.

According to lower-case Audi, upper-case AUDI will be a best-of-both-worlds brand that combines German DNA with Chinese innovation. It will be an electric brand that focuses more attention on what Chinese buyers want in a vehicle: connectivity, automation, and performance. To make that happen, Audi and SAIC created the Advanced Digitized Platform that will underpin future AUDI cars, showcased here by the AUDI E concept that just debuted in Shanghai.

AUDI E Concept

Photos by: Audi

The AUDI E concept uses two electric motors to generate a combined 764 horsepower, so it's certainly powerful. A claimed range of 435 miles based on China's CLTC test cycle comes from a 100-kWh battery. The car's 800-volt architecture supports fast charging, recouping 230 miles of range in 10 minutes. Under full throttle, it's capable of reaching 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.6 seconds. Moreover, it "drives like a real Audi," according to the press release. That's good to know.

The exterior design, which looks nothing like a Lucid Air, is described as a minimalist Sportback that's "calm but still striking." Thin headlights at the top are connected by a thinner strip where we see the bold AUDI branding. The motif continues at the back with narrow taillights bracketing the company name. Measuring 16 feet long and 78 inches wide with a 116-inch wheelbase, it's a touch larger than an Audi A6. Inside, a cockpit-spanning 4K screen provides the visual allure and complex connectivity Chinese consumers are after.

AUDI E Concept

Photo by: Audi

While just a concept, Audi suggests the, uh, AUDI is pretty close to what future production models will look like.

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“The joint platform will be the basis for a new generation of state-of-the-art intelligent connected vehicles exclusive to China," said Audi CEO Gernot Dollner. "The upcoming models are aimed at a promising and simultaneously demanding new customer segment. The cooperation will further expand the Audi portfolio of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in China and accelerate the company’s transformation in the world’s largest market.”

AUDI plans to launch three production EVs for China based on this concept, catering to mid-size and full-size segments. The first will debut in mid-2025.