german brands are going through some identity crisis.
as you mentioned they are late because now there are so many domestic choices. if audi doesn’t do it, a domestic brand zeekr will.

remember that so many ‘ugly/hideous’ designs for cn domestic market became global.

remember that logos are good but some chinese buyers like the latin alphabet look. it’s in fashion.

same as westerners getting a chinese tattoo that says ‘super fly’.

No, no… I’m not defending this at all. Audi is aware that on its own it has no chance catching up with the Chinese, especially price wise.

Moreover, this could really be the early prototype… Far from the market model as it usually is with them.

Yes but there is no Audi DNA here, nothing at all, not a single design element. Not like BMW’s Neue Klasse concept vehicles.

If you would take off the name plate, you would not know where this car came from.

The idea is nice but they could have executed it better…

In other words, this is rough.

Seems a part of joint venture (or whatever they call it) terms.
To distance it from the other Audi products.

But why change the “brand name” for this purpose? The four rings had such a bad image in China that it was unreversable?

They will not be squeezed out all the way but their market shares will be not as fat as they used to be. That’s their main problem. Otherwise I don’t think they will ever be unhappy about being present in China.

Really no point for German cars trying to pivot to the Chinese market. Sooner or later all the German brands will find themselves being squeezed out.

In fact, yes, I am in the market to buy a new car and told my wife two months ago to wait and see what Audi will preview for 2025. I owned an Audi before. Further more I am German but live in China. So there has been a strong connection to the brand through out my life.

The Volkswagen Group is late to the game. Not sure if these “rebrandings” and “revolutionary” new designs will safe them. But I certainly hope so.