Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 14, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 14, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAudi will add a third China‑only EV model to its AUDI (letter‑mark) brand in 2027—a sporty limousine—following the E5 Sportback and upcoming E7X SUV, as it accelerates development tailored solely to Chinese needs.
By Ju-min Park
BEIJING, April 14 (Reuters) - Trying to regain market share in China, Germany's Audi will launch a third model next year under its new Chinese brand in collaboration with local partner SAIC Motor Corp, the chief executive of the project said on Tuesday.
In 2024, Audi launched a new electric vehicle brand in China whose cars sport just the name AUDI and not its signature four-ring logo, part of its efforts to woo younger customers in the world's largest car market.
Since September, the automaker has sold a total of 10,000 units of the E5 Sportback, the first model of Audi's series of electric vehicles (EVs) jointly developed with SAIC, said Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi and SAIC Cooperation Project.
He added that E5 sales rebounded to 2,630 units in March after falling sales in January and February due to fading tax effects.
The premium marque, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, will launch the fully electric SUV E7X, its second China-only model without the four-ring logo, to market in the second quarter of this year.
The next one in line for 2027 will be a limousine, but a sporty model for the high-end market, Soneira told a group of foreign journalists in Beijing.
"The third car is already in the pipeline," Soneira said.
Soneira said the development process in Audi's new China line-up takes two years, which is 30 % to 40 % faster than in Europe, because these cars are developed and designed only for China.
"That means fulfilling, fully concentrating on Chinese requirements and I talk about customer requirements. I talk also about legal requirements," he said.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Keith Weir)
Audi's new China brand is an electric vehicle line launched in collaboration with SAIC Motor Corp, featuring models with only the AUDI name and no four-ring logo.
Audi has launched two electric models in China so far, with a third set to debut next year in partnership with SAIC.
Audi will launch the fully electric SUV E7X in the second quarter of this year and plans a third sporty model for 2025.
Audi's China-developed vehicles are designed specifically for Chinese customer and legal requirements, with a 30-40% faster development process than in Europe.
Since September, the Audi E5 Sportback has sold 10,000 units, with sales rebounding to 2,630 units in March after a dip at the start of the year.
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