Audi Drops 1 Global-Car Strategy, Splits China and Western Development
Updated
Updated · Car and Driver · Jul 2
Audi Drops 1 Global-Car Strategy, Splits China and Western Development
3 articles · Updated · Car and Driver · Jul 2
Summary
Rouven Mohr said Audi can no longer design one car for all major markets, pushing the brand and its China-focused spinoff AUDI toward separate product plans.
China buyers favor screen-heavy, AI-laden cabins, while Europe and North America want more tactile controls, making a compromise too weak for both sides.
AUDI — launched with SAIC in 2024 — will keep building China-specific models, while the four-ring Audi brand is expected to restore more buttons in Western cars.
Project-house development teams are also being expanded to cut approval times, with the Nuvolari and upcoming A4 E-Tron cited as early examples of the faster local-for-local approach.