The new EV series, internally codenamed "Purple," will have a concept car unveiled in November, when Audi will explain the series' "brand story," according to Reuters.
Audi, Germany's Volkswagen's premium car brand, will not use the four-ring logo on its new electric vehicle (EV) series in China for the Chinese market, Reuters said in a report today, citing two people with direct knowledge of the plans.
Audi made the decision for "brand image consideration," said a person familiar with the matter, according to the report.
The new EV series is internally codenamed "Purple," Reuters said, adding that they were not able to learn if the new series would have a different logo or would just carry the name Audi on the vehicles.
Two people familiar with the matter said a concept car for the series will be unveiled in November, when Audi will also explain the "brand story" of the series.
A third person who was briefed on the matter said nine models are planned by 2030, according to the report.
Two people with direct knowledge of the plans said Audi's new EV series will use batteries from CATL and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) from Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta, according to Reuters.
The "Purple" series will use the electrical architecture of SAIC's EV brand IM Motors, the people said.
Audi EVs currently sold in China will continue to use the four-ring logo, the Reuters report noted.
In a statement to Reuters, SAIC said the EVs would be "true Audi with authentic Audi DNA".
In a July 12, 2023 report, Reuters said Audi sought to take over an EV platform owned by IM Motors.
SAIC said days later it was working on an EV platform with Audi and that the two would accelerate EV development through collaboration.
On May 20 this year, SAIC announced that it had formally signed a cooperation agreement with Audi to jointly develop a number of high-end intelligent EVs for the joint venture SAIC Audi and to jointly develop the Advanced Digitized Platform.
The two companies were combining resources to jointly develop a series of EV models, with the first product expected to go on sale in 2025, SAIC said in the May statement.
None of the previous statements mentioned IM Motors, an EV brand founded on November 26, 2020, by SAIC, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba, with SAIC holding a majority stake.
IM Motors is targeting the mid-to-high-end EV market, with models currently on sale including the L6 and L7 sedans, as well as the LS6 and LS7 SUVs (sport utility vehicle).
IM Motors delivered 6,017 vehicles in June, up 249 percent year-on-year, according to figures it released yesterday.
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