Uppercase
November 24, 2025
Jay RameyAudi wants to battle Chinese competitors with a curious spin-off with a bigger badge but zero rings in sight.
It’s safe to say that the Audi brand needs no introduction. But perhaps few outside China have heard of AUDI — the all-caps spinoff brand just for the Chinese market developed in partnership with local automaker SAIC. That company has just taken the wraps off a giant electric SUV concept.
Dubbed simply AUDI E SUV, the concept measures 16.6 feet from bow to stern and is powered by an equally large 109-kWh battery featuring an 800-volt architecture, with a dual-motor layout promising 670 hp. The automaker says that this setup should give it a range of 435 miles in the somewhat optimistic CLTC cycle.
Perhaps more important than the specs of this mega EV, as generous as they are, is the design aesthetic that appears mostly unrelated to that of lowercase Audi we are used to.
Rectangular front and rear fascias featuring digital matrix LED headlights define the look of this new model, with large AUDI badging on the hood and rear hatch. The four rings are nowhere to be seen, with AUDI attempting to put some distance between itself and Audi and its internal combustion lineup.
Other design elements, including the sculpted wheelarches, are a little anonymous, and the SUV’s side profile is perhaps the main element that gives a hint of the brand involved.
“It showcases the distinctive design language of AUDI, giving the SUV a prestigious and progressive appearance – while combining sporty looks with generous space and versatility,” explains Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi and SAIC collaboration. “The concept vehicle embodies our vision of premium electric mobility for China, for which we combine Audi’s technological expertise with local digital innovation.”
Audi has been producing China-only versions of its models for decades at this point. They have typically included long-wheelbase versions of its global sedans. One such production model — the Audi A6L e-tron — was on display alongside the electric SUV concept at Auto Guangzhou.
In the second half of 2025 the automaker, along with two joint venture partners FAW and SAIC, launched a total of five models tailored to the Chinese market.
But the new AUDI brand takes things a step further with a distinct identity.
“With the AUDI E SUV, our new brand is celebrating its first anniversary, following the unveiling of our first concept vehicle, the AUDI E concept, here in Guangzhou a year ago,” Soneira added.
And it’s based on a distinct architecture, dubbed Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP) developed with SAIC. The production version of the SUV is slated to go on sale in China in 2026 as the second model from the brand, following the launch of the E5 Sportback a couple of months ago.
Of course, one could say that Audi could have just kept its familiar, global design language when it comes to these two electric models, even if wasn’t planning to offer them elsewhere.
The lowercase Audi brand is planning its own giant SUVs as well, including the three-row Q9 that will be unveiled in 2026, in addition to yet another model to be based on the Scout platform due in 2027.
And this brings us to the ultimate question behind this project: Why did lowercase Audi feel compelled to launch a new brand with the same name but a different look?
The automaker, which has been present in China for almost 40 years along with VW, has been feeling the same competitive pressures as other German automakers present in the Middle Kingdom, and has seen its market share threatened by new Chinese brands. A bolder identity, the automaker felt, was needed to revamp the brand’s conservative styling.
“Our strategy – two brands, two drive technologies, and the integration of local innovations – is proving successful,” says Johannes Roscheck, President of Audi China. “We are acting decisively to secure Audi’s long-term success in China.”
It remains to be seen just how much AUDI will be able to distance itself from Audi at a precarious time for German luxury brands in China, but for now this is a curious step with some of its own costs in creating a parallel lineup with little technical overlap for the world’s largest EV market.
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