From the official signing of the Audi-SAIC collaboration agreement in May last year to the pre-sale launch of the AUDI E5 Sportback, the inaugural mass-produced vehicle under the AUDI brand, on August 18 this year, Audi and SAIC have accomplished the entire journey from project inception to mass production in under 15 months. This rapid pace not only eclipses traditional luxury brands' new launch records but also astonishes industry newcomers.

As the first new energy strategic brand tailored for the Chinese market among traditional luxury automakers, AUDI forgoes the iconic Four Rings logo. Some may argue that without the Four Rings, it's not a true Audi. However, this perspective, which judges a brand's heritage solely by its logo, overlooks the core essence of a car brand.

Delving deeper into Audi's rich history, it becomes evident that the Four Rings logo has not always been its sole identifier. Throughout Audi's 116-year journey, various logos have adorned its vehicles, with the AUDI letter logo making several appearances. In 1909, the AUDI brand embarked with a logo comprising the letters AUDI.

Thus, SAIC Audi's adoption of the "AUDI" logo is, in essence, a homage to the brand's historical roots. More importantly, "AUDI" transcends the traditional Four Rings logo's inherent associations, representing Audi's innovative move to present the brand's diverse allure through a fresh visual identity in a new market landscape, thereby attracting a broader consumer base.

01 The Authentic Essence of the Audi Brand

Amidst the automotive industry's unprecedented transformation, we must reevaluate: What defines a car? Is it the logo on the grille or the technological DNA and philosophy embedded within the vehicle?

Upon examining Audi's core, it becomes clear that the brand's essence has never been confined to four rings. What truly elevates Audi in the global automotive market, spanning over a century, is its profound technological foundation and the brand philosophy of "Vorsprung durch Technik" (Advancement through Technology).

The technological core undeniably constitutes Audi's competitive advantage and the yardstick by which a car's authenticity as an Audi is measured. In the era of internal combustion engines, Audi set numerous industry benchmarks with its groundbreaking achievements in engine technology, quattro four-wheel drive systems, and lightweight body structures. These technological milestones are embedded in every Audi vehicle's DNA, independent of the logo, making them distinctive identifiers that set Audi apart from competitors.

Brand philosophy is another indispensable facet of the Audi brand. Audi steadfastly adheres to the "Vorsprung durch Technik" philosophy, striving to deliver an unparalleled driving experience through technological innovation. Whether in vehicle design, manufacturing processes, or in the realms of intelligence and connectivity, Audi remains consumer-centric and relentlessly pursues innovation.

While the car logo is an external manifestation of a brand's image, it is far from the sole representation. For consumers, the true focus should be on whether an Audi model embodies the brand's technological DNA, perpetuates Audi's manufacturing philosophy, and offers a genuine Audi experience. These intrinsic values transcend the external Four Rings or AUDI logo.

The automotive industry is undergoing unprecedented change, with the tides of electrification and intelligence reshaping traditional brand images and market landscapes. At this pivotal juncture, automotive brands require more diverse image expressions. Many traditional manufacturers have launched new brands or series to embrace the electric future with a renewed identity.

Audi, too, must continuously enrich and evolve its brand meaning to adapt to the rapid shifts in market and consumer demands. SAIC Audi's new endeavor signifies the Audi brand's self-expansion and connotation extension in the new era. It embodies Audi's embrace of youth, technology, innovation, and other elements, aiming to captivate more young Chinese consumers through a fresh brand image and infuse new vigor into the brand. This trend-aligned spirit of change is also crucial for Audi's long-term development.

The choice to collaborate with SAIC Group in the Chinese market for this innovative move is rooted in China's rapidly evolving smart electric vehicle market, mature industrial chain, SAIC Group's robust technological prowess, extensive local ecosystem, and the rich experience garnered from years of cooperation between the two parties.

Ming Song, CEO of the new AUDI brand, consistently emphasizes, "The Audi-SAIC collaboration is not a pilot project but a long-term initiative with profound implications for the coming decades. It represents a novel cooperation mechanism established by Audi and SAIC."

Faced with the competitive landscape of the new era, Audi, with its century-long heritage, aims to reach consumer demands that the Four Rings logo has yet to address. AUDI serves as the optimal vessel, inheriting the genes of century-old Audi while presenting a brand-new image.

02 AUDI's Pioneering Response

The Audi E5 Sportback offers profound insights into the AUDI brand's innovation and heritage. Notably, the AUDI brand does not utilize Audi's existing pure electric platform but emerges from the ADP intelligent digital platform jointly developed by Audi and SAIC. This ground-up redesigned platform, characterized by high versatility and flexibility, is tailored for mid-sized and large-sized intelligent and connected electric vehicles. It provides a robust technical foundation for the AUDI brand to focus on the luxury, intelligent, and electric mobility sector.

In design, the Audi E5 Sportback exudes a sense of technology and futurism that deviates from traditional Audi fuel vehicles. Nevertheless, one can instantly recognize familiar Audi elements – the rounded wheel arches reminiscent of the first-generation Audi TT, the sleek surfaces akin to the RSQ concept car, and the dynamic stance evoking the RS6. These are iconic Audi Sportback genes. The interior mirrors this, featuring a fully-scenario digitalized cockpit with novel interactive design. It harmoniously blends pioneering elements with Audi's dynamic DNA, evident in the three-spoke sports steering wheel and sports seats.

In terms of intelligence, the Audi E5 Sportback achieves full coverage of urban pilot scenarios through the EBM end-to-end large model co-developed with Momenta, coupled with the NVIDIA Orin-X chip, positioning it at the forefront of intelligent assisted driving. Regarding mechanical proficiency, built upon a century of expertise, the Audi E5 Sportback seamlessly inherits Audi's racing DNA. Features such as quattro intelligent four-wheel drive, Brembo four-piston brake system, and masterful chassis tuning underscore Audi's strengths.

The Audi E5 Sportback's pre-sale price range, from 235,900 to 319,900 yuan, best exemplifies the AUDI brand's uniqueness and flexibility. It not only avoids internal competition with the Four Rings brand but also enables robust competition with local new force brands. This underscores the AUDI brand's agility in operating independently without adhering to the existing logo and product system, starting afresh.

Thus, in the Audi E5 Sportback, we witness the full inheritance of the technological essence and quality standards of century-old Audi within the new AUDI brand, along with its relentless pursuit of innovation and transformation.

As Audi AG CEO Markus Duesmann noted, "The mass production of the Audi E5 Sportback marks not just the beginning of a new car but the dawn of a new era."

For any brand in this era of change, the greatest risk is not change but stagnation. From this perspective, the birth of the AUDI brand signifies the continuous enrichment and development of century-old Audi's inherent meaning.

As consumers, our focus should not be on the logo adorning the car's front but on whether a vehicle truly embodies Audi's technological DNA, perpetuates Audi's manufacturing philosophy, and offers a genuine Audi experience. These intrinsic values far outweigh an external logo.