We are talking about models developed in partnership with SAIC and having, in fact, a Chinese platform.
In July last year, the German company Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group, and the Chinese state-owned auto concern SAIC agreed to jointly develop new Audi electric vehicles for the Chinese market. Audi needed such a partnership because it is unable to quickly respond to the needs of the Chinese car market and is unable to compete in the speed of launching new models with Chinese competitors. Audi produces its own electric vehicles in China as part of existing joint ventures with FAW and SAIC, but these electric vehicles have been decisively rejected by the market: in the first half of this year, Audi sold less than 10,000 electric vehicles in China, and demand for them continues to decline.
The new deal with SAIC should help revive Audi's electric car business in China. This deal was officially completed in May of this year, but the partners did not disclose any details at the time — it is only known that the first jointly developed Audi model will hit the market in 2025.
Late last week, Reuters, citing insiders, revealed some interesting details about the joint work of Audi and SAIC. The main news is that the new Audi models developed with SAIC will not receive the four-ring emblem, so as not to harm the image of the German brand. This should be understood as meaning that the new Audis will essentially be Chinese, and there will be little, if any, German engineering in them. According to insiders, the new models will be based on the IM Motors platform (one of SAIC's subsidiaries). What will replace the four rings is still unknown — perhaps just the letters Audi, or perhaps something alternative — for example, taken from the history of Audi (recall that three years ago, Audi took the Horch brand out of the archive specifically for the Chinese market). Within the company, the new line of electric vehicles for China is designated by the code word Purple.
Currently, nine models are planned for the Purple line, they will enter the market before 2030, the first model will be shown as a concept in November of this year, and a production version will appear in 2025.
The IM brand (stands for Intelligence in Motion) is considered the flagship brand in the internal hierarchy of SAIC, it concentrates the best achievements of the concern. IM produces quite expensive electric vehicles, and next year the IM model line will be replenished with range extender hybrids, where the internal combustion engine is not mechanically connected to the wheels and is used to extend the electric power reserve. In June alone this year, IM Motors sold 6,015 electric vehicles in China, which is 199.7% more than sales in June 2023.
Meanwhile, another technology partner has been selected for the new Volkswagen models for the Chinese market — the Xpeng company: the first new Volkswagen models on the Xpeng platform will go on sale in 2026.