SAIC Audi announced on September 16 that its newly launched AUDI E5 Sportback received 10,153 orders within the first 30 minutes of sales. The all-electric fastback is positioned in the mid-size segment and is priced from 235,900 yuan (approx. 32,400 USD). All versions are built on the jointly developed Advanced Digitised Platform and are produced at SAIC Audi’s manufacturing facility. The vehicle carries over styling elements from the Audi E concept car, adopting a fastback profile with six exterior colour options. Its aerodynamic design achieves a drag coefficient of 0.252 Cd. Lighting is a key feature, with 942 LEDs and nearly 2,000 triangular elements creating dynamic welcome animations. The car measures 4,881 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,479 mm in height, with a 2,950 mm wheelbase.
Inside, the E5 Sportback is equipped with a 59-inch integrated display, supported by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295 chip and running the Audi OS operating system. Additional features include a digital “Audi Island” control interface, electronic rear-view mirrors, and a voice-interactive Audi Assistant developed using a large language model. The system supports multi-zone wake-up commands and compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Huawei HiCar.
Other features include heated and ventilated seats, a panoramic roof, 360-degree cameras, and wireless phone charging. Higher trims add air suspension, CDC adaptive dampers, customizable lighting, and a BOSE 18-speaker sound system.
The E5 Sportback is equipped with 27 sensors, including lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras, alongside an Nvidia Orin-X chip. The model integrates Momenta’s EBM end-to-end large-model assisted driving solution, supporting functions across city roads, highways, and automated parking.
The E5 Sportback is available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations:
Single motor versions deliver maximum outputs of 220 kW or 300 kW.
Dual motor versions provide 386 kW or 579 kW, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in as fast as 3.4 seconds.
Battery capacities range from 76.2 kWh to 100 kWh, supplied by CATL, with a maximum claimed CLTC range of 773 km. The car adopts an 800V architecture and comes standard with a heat pump system.
The E5 Sportback enters China’s competitive mid-size EV market, where rivals include the Tesla Model 3, Nio ET5T, and Zeekr 007 GT. In August, Tesla’s Model 3 led sales in this category with 17,739 units.
In another news Jonathan Wheatley has explained that Audi is not in support of F1 readopting V8 engines, as concerns over the next generation of power units fester in the paddock.
The Stake team principal will continue to lead the former Sauber entry as it transforms into the aforementioned German car giant for the 2026 season.
At that point, F1 is also introducing comprehensively changed chassis and power unit regulations, with the latter a considerable pull factor in enticing Audi to the championship.
However, there is already a substantial contingent pressing to discard the new engine rules, with increasing support for F1 to return to V8 engines – last used in 2013 – with 100 percent sustainable fuel.
Hybrid power was introduced to F1 in 2014, and that generation of power units has lasted comfortably over a decade, but pressure is mounting on the championship to move quickly on to V8 engines.
There is growing dissatisfaction from some quarters over the balance between electrical energy and conventional combustion power – and what that will mean for performance.
It initially appeared that any V8 transition could happen as soon as 2029, but that timeframe now more realistically looks to be 2031 at the earliest, a point which is also, conveniently, the end of the new chassis rules cycle.
However, Audi’s foray into F1 was predicated on three central pillars, according to Wheatley, with two set to be eliminated by the V8 plans.
“I think fundamentally, there were three pillars that Audi set their entrance into Formula 1 on,” the Briton told media, including RacingNews365.
“One was a highly efficient engine, another one was advanced hybrid technology, and sustainable fuels.”
Like the second iteration of hybrid power unit, the V8 proposals will use sustainable fuels, but Wheatley does not believe Audi will change its stance on the matter, given the trident of principles it was enticed by.
“So I don’t think our position has changed on that,” the 58-year-old said.
“And as far as I know, we’re going to stay in that position for a very long time.”
In another news Audi Walks Back 2032 All-Electric Pledge, But Still Backs EU 2035 Combustion Ban
Just three years ago, Audi declared it would stop producing combustion-engine cars by 2032 and transition entirely to electric vehicles worldwide. It was one of the most ambitious electrification targets in the global auto industry, designed to put the Four Rings at the forefront of Europe’s climate agenda and in line with Volkswagen Group’s pledge to reinvent itself after the diesel emissions scandal.
Now, that ambition has been dialed back. Audi’s new chief executive, Gernot Döllner, has signaled that combustion engines will remain in the lineup for “another seven, eight, maybe 10 years.” In other words, the transition will stretch well into the 2030s, with petrol and diesel models continuing to underpin sales, profits, and production.
This reversal underscores a hard reality: while electric vehicles are the industry’s future, the present is still dominated by combustion cars, and luxury brands like Audi are struggling to make the transition profitably and at scale.
EVs Still the Endgame
Despite the softened timeline, Döllner remains firm on the bigger picture. He continues to support the European Union’s 2035 sales ban on new combustion cars, dismissing calls to weaken or delay the legislation as “counterproductive.”
“The constant back and forth unsettles customers,” Döllner said in an interview with Wirtschaftswoche, a leading German business magazine. He argued that only regulatory certainty would push both automakers and buyers to fully commit to EVs.
That position sets Audi apart from its domestic rivals. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been far more skeptical, pressing Brussels to reconsider the 2035 deadline, citing weak charging infrastructure, consumer hesitation, and profitability concerns. Audi, by contrast, insists that EVs are “simply the better technology”—not only for reducing CO₂ emissions, but also for driving innovation, digitalization, and long-term competitiveness.
A Political Battle Over 2035
The timing of Audi’s messaging is significant. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with auto executives at the IAA Mobility Show in Munich last Friday, reopening the debate over the 2035 combustion ban. Originally, the legislation included a scheduled review in 2026 to assess market readiness. That review has now been brought forward to 2025, creating the possibility of adjustments sooner than expected.
Pure gasoline and diesel cars are unlikely to survive beyond the 2035 deadline, but compromise scenarios are emerging. One option under discussion is to allow plug-in hybrids or range-extending EVs—vehicles in which a small combustion engine works only as a generator to recharge the battery, without directly powering the wheels.
This concept is not new. BMW experimented with it more than a decade ago in the i3 REx (Range Extender), and Chinese manufacturers such as Li Auto have successfully revived it. Now, with demand for flexibility growing, European automakers may see range-extenders as a political and technological bridge between traditional combustion and full electrification.
Volkswagen Group, Audi’s parent company, is already preparing for such a future. Its upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) is designed to accommodate both pure electric drivetrains and range-extending generators. Reports suggest Audi could spearhead the SSP rollout in Europe with a next-generation A4 sedan, potentially launching in the middle of the decade.
Why Audi Pulled Back
Audi’s decision to step back from its 2032 all-electric deadline was not made lightly. While global EV demand continues to grow, the company’s own numbers reveal a tougher story. Deliveries of fully electric models fell 7.8% last year, totaling 164,480 vehicles. That left EVs at just 9.7% of Audi’s global sales—well behind the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and especially Tesla.
By comparison, BMW delivered over 375,000 all-electric cars in 2023, double Audi’s tally, while Mercedes-Benz crossed 240,000. Tesla sold more than 1.8 million worldwide. Even Audi’s premium sibling Porsche, with a far smaller portfolio, managed to outsell it in certain EV segments thanks to the popularity of the Taycan.
A single weak year isn’t enough to derail a strategy, but the drop raised doubts compared to 2022, when Audi first made its ambitious pledge. Instead of momentum, the brand has seen slippage. That has forced a rethink of how quickly it can afford to phase out its most profitable models—vehicles powered by combustion engines.
ICE Still Pays the Bills
Like other luxury automakers, Audi faces the classic “innovator’s dilemma.” Electric vehicles are the future, but combustion cars are still where the money is made.
High-performance SUVs like the Q7 and Q8, along with sedans such as the A6 and A8, remain major profit drivers. Margins on these models are robust, while EVs—burdened by high battery costs, supply chain bottlenecks, and lower pricing power—are less profitable.
“Combustion engines are still the backbone of the lineup,” said Matthias Schmidt, an independent automotive analyst in Berlin. “They’re funding the transition, and until EVs can carry their own weight, Audi and VW Group can’t afford to let them go.”
By maintaining a flexible approach, Audi can use the profits from ICE models to invest in its next-generation EVs and platforms. That financial buffer will be crucial as VW Group pours billions into the SSP platform, battery factories, and software systems designed to make its EVs more competitive with Tesla and Chinese manufacturers like BYD and Nio.