AUDI has unveiled the E5 Sportback, a new station wagon-style electric vehicle developed with SAIC, as part of Volkswagen Group’s “in China, for China” strategy. The model introduces the capitalized AUDI sub-brand, which departs from the traditional four-ring logo to signal independence from its legacy identity.
The E5 Sportback is built on the jointly developed Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP) with an 800V architecture. AUDI claims a 10-minute charge can add 370 kilometers of driving range.
Variants include both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD), with prices ranging from 235,900 yuan ($32,800) to 319,900 yuan ($44,500).
“We unite German engineering and quality with Chinese cutting-edge innovation. The E5 Sportback brings the best of both worlds together,” said Fermín Soneira, CEO of the AUDI brand.
The entry-level Pioneer trim comes with a 76 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery from the SAIC-CATL joint venture, offering a 618 km CLTC range. Its single motor delivers 220 kW of maximum power, allowing 0-100 km/h acceleration in 6.1 seconds.
At the top end, the Flagship Quattro features dual motors producing a combined 579 kW (776 hp), enabling 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. The trim uses a 100 kWh NMC ternary battery from CATL, with a CLTC range of 647 km.
The five-door, five-seat Sportback measures 4,881 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,479 mm in height, with a 2,950 mm wheelbase. Core components are produced by SAIC subsidiaries, including motors from Huayu Automotive Electric Systems and battery packs from the SAIC-CATL partnership. Final assembly is carried out by SAIC Volkswagen in Anting, Shanghai.
Technology features include 27 sensors — one lidar unit from Hesai, three millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 11 cameras — integrated into Momenta’s advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) and processed by Nvidia’s Orin X chip.
Inside, the E5 Sportback is fitted with a 59-inch cabin-wide LED display powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295. The in-car system runs on AUDI OS and includes “Doubao,” an AI assistant developed by ByteDance, offering voice control and semantic interaction.
The E5 Sportback is currently exclusive to China, with no announcements yet on international availability.
