The AUDI That Isn't Audi Looks Better Than Anything We Get

1 week, 3 days ago - 24 November 2025, Carbuzz

Last year, Audi announced a very strange plan to sell more vehicles in the largest auto market in the world: It wouldn't put its iconic badge on the front, and it would make vehicles that looked nothing like what it was already building. The second one of those new models has just been revealed at Auto Guangzhou, and, as promised, it looks nothing like existing models from Audi.

The Audi E SUV is officially called the AUDI E SUV concept. The upper-case letters replace the Four Rings on the nose, thus separating these Chinese models from the German automaker's traditional lineup. The idea is to develop vehicles quicker and with more tech, in an effort to match what the country's own car companies are capable of.

It's a blend of German Audi and China AUDI and the latter's partnership with SAIC. Instead of Audi bones, it uses a platform called the Advanced Digitized Platform, which it developed with SAIC.

The E SUV is 199 inches long and rides on a 120-inch wheelbase. That makes it just a hair shorter than the Audi Q7, so it's not quite the company's biggest model. But thanks to EV packaging, it's likely the biggest one on the inside.

AUDI's newest EV is powered by two motors delivering a total of 671 horsepower. That's enough to get it from zero to 60 mph in about five seconds, the company says. It will have a 109-kWh battery underneath, enough for a range of more than 435 miles on the generous CLTC test circuit. With an 800V electrical system, Audi says it can add up to 200 miles of range in 10 minutes at the right fast charger.

We didn't get a look inside the Audi E SUV, but expect it to look a lot like the first AUDI Audi. The E5 Sportback, revealed a few months ago (and pictured above) has door-to-door screens. It's also much softer and looks warmer and more inviting than German Audi models we're used to.

The Audi 360 Driving Assist System will be included with the SUV. It's designed to offer high levels of support for the country's dense city traffic and for tight parking. Expect more tech features on the production version to follow next year and for it to be thoroughly integrated into China's impressive digital ecosystem thanks to SAIC.

AUDI has moved away from traditional Audi design, but it hasn't abandoned it completely. The large LED arrays that form a square around the nose and tail are unique to the market, but the rear three-quarter view shows fender bulges that remind us of the "quattro blisters" on models like the Q8. From the side, the wheels are clearly pushed out to the corners. It's a benefit of the electric platform that helps with space for passengers and cargo.

Audi confirmed that though this is a concept, it will build the E SUV. It made a similar announcement with the E5 Sportback, and when that one went on sale it was nearly identical to the show car. The E5 offers 776 horsepower, so there's plenty of room for the performance of the E SUV to grow, should Audi decide it wants to go in that direction.