Volkswagen: Audi and VW show new models for China

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The Volkswagen Group has dominated the Chinese car market for decades. However you look at it, this is no longer the case, and this is becoming a growing problem for the Group. In the medium term, the giant wants to counteract this with models that are not only built in China, but are also tailored to the wishes of customers there. Volkswagen's core brands VW and Audi will be demonstrating the direction this could take at the Auto Shanghai 2025 trade fair.

Audi E5: a station wagon in the format of the A6 e-tron

To achieve this, they are enlisting the help of local manufacturers, which Audi openly communicated at the presentation of the E5 battery-electric estate. The partner here is SAIC, with whom the Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP) was jointly developed. The E5 is the first model to be based on it. The car is due to be launched in the summer, initially only in China. There are no plans to export it to Europe, where it would compete with the similarly sized A6 Avant e-tron. The E5 is 4.88 m long, 1.96 m wide and 1.48 m high.

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Audi E5 (4 Bilder)

Four drive systems are planned, of which Audi is only revealing a few key figures. The maximum range is given as 770 km, although this figure is likely to apply to the Chinese cycle and not the WLTP. Charging is possible with 800 volts, and a range of 370 km should be recharged in 10 minutes in the Chinese cycle –. At around 44 percent, this corresponds to almost half of the maximum range promised by Audi. The energy content is specified as 100 kWh. This allows an approximate calculation of the consumption, which Audi does not specify. Around 44 kWh for 370 km would correspond to around 11.9 kWh/100 km.

Generously motorized

At 579 kW, the most powerful version is set to be considerably more powerful than what Audi currently offers in the A6 e-tron in Germany. The other versions with 220, 300 or 425 kW are also extremely powerful. In a country where no more than 120 km/h can be driven on public roads, a car that can accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds seems to be well-equipped. Especially as, for a large part of the day, there is no question of flowing traffic, particularly around the metropolitan areas. The sales pitch here is: “They could, if only it were possible.”

Charisma and warmth

Of course, local buyers are also fully aware of this, which is why the focus there has long been on other things. Audi is trying to respond to this with its own operating system, a 4K screen with a diameter of 27  inches and an app store that can be activated via facial recognition. There is also an assistant that uses AI to provide a touch- and voice-controlled avatar. According to Audi, it is intended to make digital interaction more human. It is promised to interact with a mixture of innovation, charisma, and warmth. In China, where data protection is a rather subordinate government priority, such a link is no exception, which makes it no less remarkable. Qualcomm provides the computer. It is a Snapdragon 8295, which was officially unveiled in January 2021. At the time, it was the first 5 nm chip for use in cars and had eight cores.

VW: studies with hybrid and electric drive

Volkswagen's core brand, VW Passenger Cars, is leaving it at the trade fair with three studies. The ID.Era is a spacious SUV with seven seats and hybrid drive. A combustion engine can recharge the battery, which should provide an additional range of 700 km. With an externally charged battery, an electric range of 300 km should be possible. All these and the following figures are always based on the Chinese consumption calculation.

The ID.Evo is also an SUV, but with a battery-electric drive. Here, VW is relying on an 800-volt base, without which it will be difficult to meet customer expectations from a certain class onward. The third study is a notch back, also with an electric drive. However, this is aimed at a target group that is particularly price-sensitive. VW has not provided any details, but it is conceivable that VW will stick to a voltage level of 400 volts here.

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VW auf der Auto Shanghai 2025 (6 Bilder)

Both will have a zonal electronics architecture that is so powerful that highly automated driving should be possible. In other words, the car can handle certain situations on its own under defined circumstances, but the driver must constantly monitor the situation. The driver always remains in charge, no matter how many plus signs are added to the “Level 2” mark.

(mfz)