Tag Archives: Audi

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New Audi E5 Sportback Only for China

Well, this is it. Audi has finally built a car it really wants you to know about — and it’s not for you. Unless, of course, you happen to live in China, where the all-new Audi E5 Sportback has just thundered off the production line in Anting like a freshly charged iPhone on wheels.

Yes, August 18 was the birthday of Audi’s first series-production model developed specifically for China, in partnership with local heavyweight SAIC. The message is clear: Germany makes the suits, China adds the smart tech, and together they’re gunning for the future of electric fastbacks.

What is it?

On paper, the E5 Sportback is a bit of a monster. A fully electric, four-door fastback, it churns out up to 579 kW (that’s nearly 800 horsepower in old money), will slap you to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, and still promises a maximum range of 770 kilometres. So yes, it’s both a drag-strip hooligan and a long-distance Zen master. Choose from four different powertrains: rear-wheel drive for the purists, quattro for the snowbound or the terminally enthusiastic.

The Platform Play

Underneath it all sits Audi’s shiny new Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP). Think of it as the silicon spine of the car: over-the-air updates, next-gen connectivity, and enough digital wizardry to make even Tesla owners raise an eyebrow. It’s not just a car; it’s a rolling app store with quattro muscles.

Built the Chinese Way

Production is happening in a dedicated new facility at the SAIC Volkswagen site in Shanghai. About 700 people (and a terrifying army of robots) are building these things, overseen by machine learning systems that check quality in real time. It’s basically Skynet with a torque wrench.

And this isn’t a one-off. The E5 Sportback is the opening act of a trilogy, with two more Audi models due in the next two years.

Audi’s Big Pitch

Fermín Soneira, the man in charge of this German-Chinese mashup, says every Audi “embodies the best of both worlds.” Translation: You get German design, quality and driving dynamics, fused with China’s bleeding-edge digital ecosystem. In short, it’s an Audi that speaks fluent Mandarin — and WeChat.

Should You Want One?

Well, unless you live in China, no. But you should still pay attention, because this isn’t just another electric Audi. This is Audi rethinking its future market, building a car around Chinese customers and their tech-obsessed lifestyles. It’s as much a cultural shift as an engineering one.

And with nearly 800 horsepower, 770 km of range, and the kind of acceleration that makes your eyeballs stick to the back of your skull, the E5 Sportback might just be the most exciting Audi you can’t buy.

Source: Audi

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The Audi RS6 Avant: The Wagon That Refuses to Die (and Is Selling Like Hot Pretzels)

You’d think that after six years on the road, the Audi RS6 Avant would be quietly shuffling towards retirement, maybe working on its memoirs, or taking up gardening. After all, Audi has already rolled out a shiny new generation of A6 — the C9 — in a wagon flavour, no less. The smart money said RS6 sales would taper off, replaced by the lure of newer toys.

Well, the smart money was wrong. Spectacularly wrong.

In the first half of this year, RS6 Avant demand hasn’t just gone up — it’s exploded, with a 41% jump compared to the same time last year. That’s the biggest surge since the car first landed, and the sort of number usually reserved for things like Taylor Swift ticket sales or limited-edition Lego sets.

Why? The answer probably lies under the bonnet. The current RS6 is the last one you’ll be able to buy with a pure, glorious 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (630 horsepower), backed only by a mild-hybrid system. No plug-in battery packs. No silent creeping through the suburbs like a guilty burglar. Just the full-fat, petrol-drinking thump we all know and love.

Its rivals? Mercedes-AMG’s E63 T and BMW’s incoming M5 Touring have gone plug-in hybrid, which means — yes — more power, but also the kind of kerb weight that makes a sumo wrestler look malnourished. The RS6, by contrast, still feels like it’s playing for the old team: fewer cables, more noise.

Audi Sport has already confirmed that future RS cars won’t be dabbling with puny four-cylinders, and a new RS6 Avant is brewing in Ingolstadt with a hybridised V8 at its core. The mules are out testing, and a smaller RS4 Avant (with a V6) is in the works too.

But before that, in September, Audi Sport will pull the covers off a concept car inspired by the original TT — a little reminder of when Audi design decided to go full Bauhaus on the automotive world.

Until then, the current RS6 Avant remains the people’s champion: fast, loud, slightly ridiculous, and somehow more desirable at the end of its life than at the beginning. A bit like Sean Connery.

Source: Audi

News

Audi’s Turning Your Car into an Arcade – and It’s Brilliant

Forget cupholders, panoramic roofs, and massage seats – the new battleground for carmakers is fun. And Audi, never one to be left lurking in the slow lane, has just driven headfirst into the in-car entertainment game. Literally.

Meet AirConsole, a gaming platform designed for passengers to unleash their inner Mario Kart champion without actually terrifying the driver. Available via the Audi Application Store, it lets you play a growing library of games right on the central MMI touch display – or, in fancier models, the MMI passenger display. Your phone becomes the controller, connected via a QR code that pops up on screen, while the car’s infotainment becomes the arena.

It’s a clever trick: no fiddly Bluetooth pairing, no extra hardware, just your smartphone and a slightly competitive streak. Even better, in models with Dynamic Privacy mode and shutter tech, the passenger can frag enemies or draw questionable Pictionary sketches without the driver ever catching a glimpse.

And the game list? A proper mixed bag. Family classics like UNO® Car Party and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, chaotic fun like Overcooked, and solo chill-outs such as Snowboard Buddies. There’s even a 40th anniversary special edition of Pictionary™ Car Party exclusively for Audi passengers until the end of 2025 – perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to guess “spaceship” from a drawing that looks suspiciously like a potato.

Of course, the tech under the bonnet matters too. AirConsole runs on Audi’s latest PPC and PPE architectures, so you’ll see it first in cars like the all-new 2025 A5, Q5, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron. You’ll need a myAudi account, an active Audi connect PLUS subscription, and a healthy 4G or 5G signal. Because nothing kills the vibe faster than lag in the middle of a GoKart Go! showdown.

But this is bigger than a novelty feature. In an era of electrification – where charging stops are inevitable – turning your car into a rolling gaming lounge makes perfect sense. Whether you’re parked at an e-tron charger, killing time in the school pick-up line, or halfway through a road trip rest stop, Audi has just made sure boredom isn’t invited along for the ride.

Sure, purists might grumble that “cars are for driving, not gaming.” But let’s be honest: passengers have been glued to screens since the Walkman. This is just the next level – literally.

So next time you’re sat in an Audi A6 e-tron with 20 minutes to kill, don’t scroll mindlessly. Grab your phone, scan the code, and show everyone in the backseat that you are, in fact, the reigning champion of Burnin’ Rubber.

Game on.

Source: Audi