Audi presents its most ambitious model yet in Shanghai – the Audi E5 Sportback. No four wheels, but more character than ever. This is the best AUDI ever, and it wasn't made by the Germans.
Audi did something that would have been hard to imagine a few years ago with the E5 Sportback – it created a new brand exclusively for China, leaving behind the symbol of the four circles. The new AUDI sub-brand (in capital letters, without a logo) makes no secret of its purpose: to seduce Chinese buyers who want more than just “premium”. We have entered an era when German engineering excellence without China's digital imagination is no longer enoughThat's why Audi is taking a stand – and doing so very elegantly.
Under the hood: acceleration like a rocket and a battery like a reservoir of hope
The Audi E5 Sportback is a technical marvel that combines raw power and long range. With the most powerful version, which produces 579 kilowatts (776 hp), it accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in just 3.4 seconds. It offers up to 770 kilometers of range (CLTC) with a 100 kWh battery. Built on an advanced 800-volt architecture, it allows for ultra-fast charging – you can add 370 kilometers of range in 10 minutes. The E5 is available in four configurations, from rear-wheel drive to the legendary quattro all-wheel drive system, meaning it quickly transforms from a daily commute to the office into an adrenaline-filled playground.
Digital interiors designed by the future
The cabin of the E5 Sportback is not just a space – it is a digital salon that blends high technology, comfort and sensual aesthetics. The main character is the 27-inch 4K display that stretches across the entire dashboard and displays everything from navigation to karaoke apps. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip, which performs 30 billion operations per second. AUDI OS, the new operating system, is designed specifically for the Chinese digital ecosystem. There is also an AI assistant – a digital companion that adapts to your mood, responds to commands and guides the entire digital experience with a gentle smile of an algorithm.
Exterior with vision and lighting choreography
The exterior of the E5 Sportback is a futuristic sculpture on four wheels. Minimalist yet bold. The front and rear are adorned with illuminated logos, while a “black loop” elegantly combines the headlights, sensors, radars and aerodynamic elements into one flowing shape. The light signature is something special – more than a thousand micro light units create dynamic animations and interactive welcome sequences that look like they’ve escaped from a science fiction movie.
A ride that feels every street of Shanghai
The air-suspended chassis with four-wheel steering was tuned in Germany and tested on the chaotic streets of Chinese megacities. The Audi 360 Assisted Driving system uses LiDAR sensors, 11 cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors to recognize everything from electric scooters to children in crosswalks. The system takes care of lane changes, stops at traffic lights, maneuvers around obstacles – all in the style of having your own chauffeur with a PhD in road ethics in your car.
Conclusion: when the Germans give the brand, the Chinese give the content
The Audi E5 Sportback is not just a car, but a symbol of cultural and technological shift. This is the moment, when the German brand admitted: we no longer have all the knowledge and feel for markets like China. So it opened the door and let the Chinese create a car on their own terms. The result? A technologically sophisticated, aesthetically perfect and digitally flawless electric grand tourer, which will definitely arrive in Europe sooner or later – and then we will ask ourselves whether the future of the German auto industry is perhaps already written in a simplified font: AUDI.
