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Audi is building new electric cars exclusively for China
May 20, 2024, 12:57 p.m
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Audi and the Chinese car manufacturer SAIC want to bring a joint electric car onto the Chinese market as early as next year. With this, Audi intends to recapture the market. The collaboration should also enable much faster production of new models.
The car manufacturer Audi and the long-time Chinese Volkswagen partner SAIC want to bring their first jointly developed vehicle onto the market next year. The two companies sealed a corresponding collaboration. The vehicles complement the current Audi range, it said. “Through the partnership with SAIC, we will significantly accelerate our electric strategy in China,” said Audi boss Gernot Döllner.
The two companies want to develop the cars together on a China-specific platform. The vehicles have typical Audi characteristics. SAIC is also contributing its electric car capabilities, said SAIC boss Wang Xiaoqiu. The project will be led by Fermin Soneira, who previously managed the smaller electric car business at Audi.
Audi has recently fallen behind when it comes to electric cars in China, also because the Volkswagen subsidiary has significantly fewer models on offer than its competitors. This is set to change, among other things, with the collaboration that has now been sealed. VW China boss Ralf Brandstätter explained that the existing portfolio based on the global platforms is now being supplemented with models that are being developed exclusively for the Chinese market. “The expanded partnership between Audi and SAIC is the next important milestone in our strategy.”
Further partnerships between VW and China
The Ingolstadt-based company expects faster development times from the collaboration. New vehicles should be brought onto the market more than 30 percent faster than before. The first plans are for three models in the B and C segments, i.e. smaller vehicles. Audi recently presented the long version of the mid-range SUV Q6 e-tron at the Beijing motor show.
Audi and Volkswagen were initially caught off guard by the rapid rise of electromobility in China and now want to regain ground. Volkswagen has also agreed on a collaboration with the Chinese car manufacturer Xpeng, from which the first two mid-range vehicles will come in 2026.