Audi China mein literally AUDI ban gaya, or almost 100 years ki history ko side pe rakh diya by removing its iconic four interlocking rings. But sirf name ya logo hi nahi change hua, unhone design or overall philosophy bhi completely different choose ki hai, jo unki Western market wali cars se kaafi different hai.
First AUDI E5 Sportback ka debut kaafi successful lag raha tha, but sirf kuch hi months baad German brand ne uski prices kaafi reduce kar di hai, jo clearly signal deta hai ki kahin na kahin toh sahi work nahi kar raha hai.
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Audi struggles to establish a foothold in China
German manufacturer, or Germany ke kuch premium rivals bhi, ab apna focus wapas China pe shift kar rahe hai, because past kuch years mein wahan unki importance, market presence or sales kaafi rapidly decline hui thi.
To give you an idea, ab China ke log foreign brands ke instead apne local brands ko zyada prefer kar rahe hai, jo pehle ulta hota tha. Clearly, jo new generation ke electric cars aaye hai, affordable hai or tech se full loaded, unhone market ko kaafi attract kiya hai.
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Audi ne apne efforts mainly is baat par focus ki hai ki wo apne joint venture with SAIC (jo Asia ke most biggest car manufacturers mein se ek hai) ka full use kare, so that AUDI launch ki ja sake.
Is name ke under all capital letters mein or usual four rings logo ke bina last summer E5 Sportback launch ki gayi thi.
Ek electric car thi jisne launch ke time sabko literally surprise kar diya tha or kaafi appreciation bhi mila. Sirf half an hour mein hi 10,000 bookings aa gayi thi. But phir September se December 2025 ke between, Audi ke according sirf 6,650 units hi sell ho paayi.
And more shocking is last January mein sirf 605 units hi sell hue, itni badi market ke liye ye number kaafi less hai, jahan every month lakh of cars sold hoti hai. Iske main competitors, Xiaomi YU7 or Tesla Model Y, comfortably 5 digit sales maintain kar rahe hai, means 30,000 se bhi zyada units sell ho rahe hai.
"Ye competition se kaafi ahead hai. Car profitable bhi hai or bilkul wahi young, tech savvy customers ko attract karti hai jinko hum target kar rahe hai," Oliver Blume ne bola, jo brand or VW Group ke top boss hai, new E5 Sportback ke baare mein. But clearly, something seems off.
Issues with the Audi E5 Sportback
Audi ne apni poori hope ek aisi car par laga di jo dekhne mein kaafi elegant hai or latest electric tech se loaded hai, but clearly ye kaafi nahi raha. Chinese drivers ne is Chinese Audi ki kuch weaknesses bhi point out ki hai, jaise multimedia system mein gliches aana, AC ka har baar car start hote hi automatically on ho jaana, city mein driver assistance features ka thoda slow react karna, or fast charging bhi apne Chinese rivals ke comparison mein lag karna.
Is problem ko solve karne ke liye, Audi ne last year ke end mein ek update launch kiya tha jisme better features diye gaye the, but wo bhi Chinese public ko impress nahi kar paaye, especially un logon ko jo pehle units purchase kar chuke the.
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Ab unhone decide kiya hai ki apni selling price 30,000 yuan (around ....... current exchange rate ke according) less kar denge, whereas launch ke time total price 34,000 euros se bhi zyada thi. Ye basically ek desperate move hai so that China mein phir se apni position strong bana sakein.
German brands na, jo kaafi heavily Chinese market pe depend karte aaye hai, ab wahan utna well perform nahi kar rahe. Example ke liye Volkswagen Group ko hi le lo, unki sales last year 8% fall hui. And Audi ki sales bhi 5% down ho gayi, total mila ke 6,17,514 cars sell hui.
Germans ke liye ek important baat ye hai ki China unke liye kaafi big market hai, unki global sales ka around 38% wahi se aata hai.
"Germany ke premium brands ki jo value China mein thi, wo expected se kaafi jaldi down ho gayi hai. Chinese consumers ab mostly local brands buy kar rahe hai, or ye genuine concern hai ki wo sales wapas recover nahi hongi," bolte hai automotive industry analyst Matthias Schmidt.
China mein local brands kaafi rapidly grow kar rahe hai. 5 years pehle inka market share 40% se bhi less tha, but ab ye almost two-third retail market cover kar rahe hai. And lagta nahi ki ye trend jaldi reverse hone wala hai.
Audi abhi bhi China mein apni full efforts kar raha hai, E5 Sportback ke baad, this year E7 SUV ki turn hai, jo April mein Beijing Motor Show pe debut karegi. Dekhna ye hai ki is baar ye Chinese market ko impress kar paayegi ya nahi?