Audi and SAIC Group are preparing for an expansion of their China-only “AUDI” vehicle lineup. After launching the E5 Sportback, they are now working on an SUV that someone managed to snap a photo of, reports AutoHome.cn.
In case you missed it, AUDI is a Chinese domestic sub-brand lacking the Ingolstadt automaker’s famous four-ring badge (and written in all caps). So far it’s been shaping up as an affordable and tech-friendly car brand for the younger audiences. If you look closely, you can see a camera on the left b-pillar. The car actively monitors its surroundings using this camera and applies custom presets whenever one of its owners come within range. For instance, you can set it up to auto-unlock doors, adjust the seat height and position, and tweak the mirror orientation slightly. It still remains to be seen how much this new AUDI crossover can do with this camera, because it hasn’t been properly announced yet.
You can also discern what looks like traditional side mirrors, a charging port in the left rear fender and a roof spoiler inspired by that of the E5 Sportback. The door handles appear to be hidden, but China is currently considering banning pop-out handles as a safety measure, so the production version might look different.
The photographer who caught the still-nameless SUV testing adds that it looked “around 5 meters” (16.4 ft) long. That’s a bit larger than the E5 Sportback, which is 4,881 x 1,960 x 1,479 mm large with 2,950 mm between the axles.
The E5 Sportback is currently available for ordering with four all-electric powertrain options. One drives the rear axle with 299 PS (295 hp / 220 kW), another one ramps up the output to 408 PS (402 hp / 300 kW), the third one adds a front motors for 525 PS (518 hp / 386 kW), and the flagship spec uses superior dual motors to deliver 787 PS (776 hp / 580 kW) to the wheels.
Batteries comes in three sizes – 76, 83 and 100 kilowatt-hours. Depending on your other choices, the range may vary from 618 to 773 km (from 384 to 480 miles).
More details should become available closer to the launch, which is expected to take place in late 2025.
The AUDI E5 Sportback (see video) starts from 235,900 CNY and costs 319,900 CNY with all option boxed ticked. The company reported receiving 10,153 preorders within 30 minutes from announcing it.
