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A new line of "green" cars being developed in China for the local market will be devoid of the four rings. Reuters writes about this with reference to two anonymous sources close to the manufacturer. It is about electric cars, which Audi creates together with SAIC. The decision to release them without the usual nameplate was dictated by the in-depth partnership with the Chinese, as well as some points related to the "brand image".
The basis of the electric cars that Audi is preparing for China will be a "cart" developed jointly with SAIC. The line of such cars has the internal name Purple and it is it that will not receive the emblem in the form of four rings. However, it is not planned to completely abandon the identifying marks of the German brand: there will be an Audi inscription on the body.
The partners should present the concept of the first electric car from the line in November. At the same time, Audi will reveal details about its future innovations and development vector. According to one of the insiders, nine models will be released by 2030.
Audi and SAIC, a longtime partner of Volkswagen, announced in May the joint development of an architecture for electric cars intended for the PRC. The Europeans expect that joining forces will help them stay on the highly competitive Chinese market, where local firms are actively increasing their sales volume.
According to the results of the first half of 2024, Audi managed to sell less than 10 electric cars there. Its Chinese competitors, premium brands Nio and Zeekr, sold approximately 80 thousand cars each.
Not the best times in China are experienced not only by European brands, but also by Japanese ones. Due to a drop in demand, Nissan had to close the new factory in Changzhou, which did not work for four years. Following him, several local production lines were stopped by Honda.
