Final week, Audi confused nearly everybody when it rolled out a sub-brand. Whereas new automakers are regularly launched in China’s massively aggressive market, this launch was totally different and complicated for 2 causes. Audi and its native companion SAIC determined to easily name their joint firm “AUDI” and use an unexpectedly simplified brand that didn’t embody the treasured 4 Rings.
As a substitute, the well-known badge was swapped out in favor of 4 capital letters, “signaling each the connection to and differentiation from the sister model.” However why did Audi resolve to use this disorienting technique? An official clarification comes from Ralf Brandstätter, Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China and Chairman of the China Board. In a LinkedIn put up, commenters rightfully requested him why the AUDI E idea doesn’t have the fabled 4 rings:
“In fact, there’ll nonetheless be automobiles with the 4 rings in China. The brand new model with the AUDI lettering has a extra progressive design, however is one hundred pc Audi DNA. It’s going to deal with different new buyer teams in China that now we have not beforehand lined with the 4 rings. A very good addition to our portfolio in China. We’ve a daring plan. Don‘t fear. “
Replying to a special remark, Brandstätter stated:
“The Chinese language market could be very totally different from the remainder of the world. Buyer calls for are totally different. And that’s the reason a further vary with the AUDI brand and a progressive design is sensible. This permits us to faucet into new buyer teams for the model in a quickly rising market.”
AUDI is outwardly concentrating on “younger, tech-savvy Chinese language premium clients,” separate from Audi’s clientele. The luxurious model and SAIC determined towards bringing again a historic firm title regardless that there have been a couple of choices obtainable: Auto Union, DKW, Horch, NSU, and Wanderer. Horch did return a couple of years in the past for a flowery A8 long-wheelbase model unique to China. Nonetheless, the younger clients that AUDI and SAIC are concentrating on are unlikely to be drawn by these previous names.
Beginning recent with a totally totally different title and brand would’ve made much less of a splash in China the place you’ll discover extra automotive firms than in every other nation around the globe. Holding the Audi reference to the brand new namesake sub-brand ought to assist the electrical automobiles stand out greater than the standard vehicles bought by Chinese language automakers.
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Past the different-but-still-the-same firm title, the AUDI fashions will look considerably totally different than these bought by the standard luxurious model. Brandstätter touts “a extra progressive design” whereas retaining “one hundred pc Audi DNA.” Advertising buzzwords apart, the E idea is in contrast to every other electrical Audi on sale right this moment. It’s labeled as a Sportback, however totally different than the globally obtainable swoopy five-door liftbacks and SUVs that use this terminology. It adopts a extra wagon-esque silhouette and has a screen-heavy inside with minimal standard controls.
Frequent sense tells us Audi will cannibalize gross sales of AUDI and vice versa however Brandstätter is assured the 2 can peacefully coexist. Completely different strokes for various of us, I assume. Primarily based on the Superior Digitized Platform co-developed with SAIC, three manufacturing fashions shall be launched in China from the center of 2025. There aren’t any plans to promote these EVs elsewhere, so the Audi/AUDI confusion shall be restricted to the world’s second-most populous nation.
