Ingolstadt/Shanghai - 04/22/2025 - Marking the beginning of a new chapter for Audi’s premium New Energy Vehicle brand AUDI: the first production model – the AUDI E5 Sportback – made its debut at the Volkswagen Group Media Night ahead of Auto Shanghai 2025. It is set to enter a market that is powering the transformation of the global automotive industry.

The four-door AUDI E5 Sportback is a bold, fully electric fastback with dynamic proportions (4,881mm length, 1,959mm width, 1,478mm height). It delivers up to 579 kW and a range of 770 km, with four powertrain options and rear-wheel or quattro drive. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 3.4 seconds. Built on the Advanced Digitized Platform, the E5 offers next-gen connectivity and over-the-air updates. Market release begins in summer 2025.

A new era of Audi in China
The new AUDI brand—capitalized and without the four rings—signals a new era in China, combining shared DNA with clear differentiation to meet the fast-changing market.

Staying true to “Vorsprung durch Technik,” Audi has adapted to Chinese consumers for 37 years. Now, in partnership with SAIC, it’s co-developing the Advanced Digitized Platform and next-gen connected vehicles.

A global Audi-SAIC team worked across Germany and China, cutting development time for the first model, the AUDI E5 Sportback, by 30%.

AUDI E5 Sportback: unmistakable Audi DNA for China’s electric future
The result of this thoughtful collaboration between engineering and design teams in Ingolstadt, Germany, and Shanghai, China, the AUDI E5 Sportback offers luxury tailored to Chinese lifestyles and tastes, merging Audi’s superior driving performance, iconic design, and premium quality with an AI-powered connectivity experience.

Design: celebrating Chinese individuality
The AUDI E5 Sportback reimagines classic Audi design with athletic proportions, rounded wheel arches, and bold front and rear styling—blending elegance with Chinese design cues like circular arches and the new Light Frame.

Its exterior combines minimalist elegance with dynamic flair, highlighted by assertive lighting, a sleek Sportback profile, and rounded arches. The radically new front and rear feature a futuristic grille, strong shoulders, a digital surface loop, and illuminated logos for maximum impact. A black loop unifies all functional elements—lights, sensors, air curtains—into a bold, cohesive detail.

True to Audi’s heritage, aerodynamics drive the design, with integrated spoilers, air curtains, and sleek lines enhancing both form and function.

Lighting design: where technology meets emotion
Embracing minimalist design, the slim headlights and modules are seamlessly integrated into a sleek black loop. Hidden when off, the position lights glow softly when active, with over 1,000 light units forming the signature AUDI Light Frame—combining warmth and precision.

The E5 Sportback also features Matrix LED headlights, offering intelligent beam control for enhanced night driving and reduced glare.

Customizable welcome animations, inspired by Audi’s heritage and Shanghai’s skyline, let drivers personalize their experience.

Interior: inspired by legacy, designed for tomorrow
The interior is arranged in clean horizontal layers, blending luxurious materials with subtle comforts like immersive speakers, ambient lighting, hidden vents, and a fragrance diffuser with three signature scents—creating a serene space amid city life.

Tech and luxury meet through intuitive touchpoints, a curved panoramic display, digital mirrors, and a center console with open storage, dual phone slots, and 50W wireless charging with active cooling. Headrest speakers enhance seat comfort.

Natural materials uplift the cabin, with 3D wood inlays and indirect lighting inspired by modern architecture. A panoramic dimming glass roof adds to the refined, high-tech atmosphere.

A new era of digital interaction
The AUDI E5 Sportback introduces AUDI OS—a fast, intuitive system tailored to each driver’s needs. Powered by the Snapdragon 8295 chip, capable of 30 billion operations per second, AUDI OS delivers a smooth, intelligent user experience. A 27-inch 4K pillar-to-pillar display presents information clearly, with customizable layouts and gesture control for easy navigation. Every touchpoint is designed for calm and clarity. AUDI OS connects to a rich app ecosystem with facial-recognition access and seamless smartphone integration, fully aligned with China’s digital landscape.

AUDI Assistant: the personal companion
At the center of the E5 is the AUDI Assistant—an AI-powered, voice- and touch-enabled avatar that brings digital interaction to life with precision and charm. Drivers can personalize its demeanor, making every interaction feel intuitive and human.

Powered by advanced computing, it offers natural language processing, personal memory, haptic feedback, and ByteDance’s Vohico behavior select.

The AUDI Control Bar on the console adapts to content and function, merging with the display for a seamless, premium interface.

Advanced Digitized Platform to power new generation of connected cars
Built on the new jointly developed Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP), the AUDI E5’s zonal electronic architecture enables next-generation connected vehicle functionality and over-the-air updates for all vehicle systems.

The new platform rapidly integrates China’s leading new energy vehicle (NEV) supply chain and will form the basis for a new generation of state-of-the-art China-only connected vehicles with electric drive systems in the mid-size and full-size segments.

Exhilarating driving dynamics for a new era
Tuned by Audi’s German R&D, the E5 Sportback delivers Audi’s legendary driving dynamics for the electric era. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, with four electric variants offering rear-wheel or quattro all-wheel drive, and power outputs ranging from 220 to 579 kW.

Progressive all-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension with Continuous Damping Control ensure a smooth, refined ride.

With a battery capacity of up to 100 kWh, the E5 offers a 770 km range and can recharge 370 km in just 10 minutes with ultra-fast 800-volt charging.

Advanced driver assistance systems designed for Chinese driving scenarios
The AUDI 360 Assisted Driving system uses LiDAR and 29 hardware units, including cameras, radars, and sensors, to provide a safe and relaxing driving experience. Designed for urban driving, it can predict obstacles like tricycles and delivery riders, resonating with local driving conditions.

Adaptive Cruise Assist aids in both highway and city driving, helping with obstacle avoidance, traffic light identification, and lane changes.

Active Safety monitors potential hazards and intervenes to prevent accidents, with enhancements for China-specific scenarios like two-wheelers and nighttime driving.

Parking Assistance supports various parking types and includes cross-floor memory parking for residential, office, and mall garages.

The beginning of a new era
Following the E5, two more all-electric AUDI models will be launched in 2026 and 2027, as a continuation of Audi’s largest ever product initiative. As a new expression of “Vorsprung durch Technik,” AUDI represents an exciting next chapter and a bold leap into the future of mobility.

Further information on Audi at Auto Shanghai 2025 can be found in the press kit.

SOURCE: AUDI MEDIA CENTER

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