Audi Is Launching a New Car Company Called… AUDI

Confused? So are we. It's like the marketing team just gave up.

Photo by: Audi

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Nov 7, 2024 at 11:17am ET

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Where are the rings, Audi? It’s a valid question for the company's newest concept shown today in Shanghai. But this isn’t an Audi. It’s an AUDI. The luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group empire is teaming up with SAIC to launch a new car company in China. Of all the names the marketing team could have picked, they decided to go with AUDI and call it a day.

To avoid confusion (well, it's too late for that), the cars won’t carry the fabled Four Rings. Instead, the new logo will consist of the four capital letters: AUDI. Leading the way is the AUDI E concept, with three production cars launching from the middle of next year. These AUDIs will peacefully coexist with the regular crop of Audis featuring the historic logo harkening back to the Auto Union era.

With the A8L Horch launched in China three years ago, Audi seemed keen on dusting off old brand names. Perhaps that would’ve been more logical instead of just calling the new company AUDI? Auto Union, NSU, DKW, and Wanderer had historical senses as well. Of course, Audi and SAIC could’ve picked a fresh name. But perhaps that would’ve made too much sense. On the other hand, a new sub-brand seems to be born in China every other week, so choosing a completely new name wouldn’t have had the same impact.

What do you think?

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While the regular Audi company won’t abandon combustion engines until later in the next decade, its namesake brand displayed in capital letters from China will be electric-only. Powertrain aside, not having the iconic logo looks weird, and seeing AUDI instead will take time to get used to. It’s worth noting these new cars will only be sold in China. The first wave of products will be midsize to fullsize models.

Beyond the questionable AUDI script, these cars will look different than the global models by having a design “tailored to Chinese customers.” This concept certainly isn't reminiscent of a typical electric Audi—so much so that we honestly couldn’t identify the brand if it weren’t for the four oversized letters. The Audi-SAIC duo goes as far as to say these cars are going to have a “revolutionary design.” In the case of this concept, it’s labeled as a Sportback. But to us, it looks more like a big wagon.