BEIJING — Volkswagen’s premium model Audi mentioned on Monday it could collectively develop a brand new China-specific platform for clever and electrical autos with its Chinese language three way partnership companion SAIC.
The transfer, coming about 10 months after VW’s landmark Chinese language partnership deal, highlights mounting strain on western manufacturers and legacy automakers to rejig to outlive an intensifying EV race on the planet’s largest auto market.
Audi has lagged far behind Tesla and different Chinese language rivals in EV gross sales amid a protracted EV worth battle.
Audi and SAIC will develop fashions constructed on new structure referred to as the Superior Digitized Platform, which “permits Audi to considerably cut back time-to-market by greater than 30%,” the Germany legacy marque mentioned in a press release.
The primary of three EV fashions to run on the brand new platform is anticipated to hit the market in 2025, based on the assertion.
The announcement make clear plans for additional cooperation between Audi and SAIC that VW introduced in July when it mentioned it could purchase 4.99% of Xpeng for round $700 million together with plans to collectively launch two Volkswagen-branded EV fashions by 2026.
In one other instance of Europe’s rising reliance on Chinese language experience in EVs, Franco-Italian automaker Stellantis mentioned earlier this month its enterprise with Chinese language companion Leapmotor would begin promoting two Leapmotor fashions in Europe from September.
Audi has used VW’s EV-dedicated MEB platform for 2 EV fashions in China, This fall e-tron and Q5 e-tron, via its two ventures, one with SAIC and one other with FAW, whereas concurrently growing a brand new EV platform with Porsche.
Audi will begin making the primary EV constructed based mostly on the Premium Platform Electrical (PPE) structure developed by its headquarters from 2025 on the earliest in China at its three way partnership with FAW.
Reuters reported beforehand that the Audi Q6L e-tron might be geared up with Huawei’s superior driving help system (ADAS) in China.
Gross sales of Audi’s two EV fashions on supply in China totalled 6,420 within the first 4 months, accounting for 0.45% of whole EV gross sales, per Reuters’ calculations based mostly on knowledge from the China Passenger Automotive Affiliation and ByteDance’s automotive info platform Dongchedi.
