2025 marks a year of chaos for the automotive market. Between shifting Chinese consumer tastes and the American trade war, Audi has had to take a more thoughtful approach to both if it wishes to maintain brand growth. Combine with that the notion that these are two very different markets with widely ranging consumer tastes and most would understand that a strategy for China likely isn’t reflective on a strategy for North America.
IF CHINA AND AMERICA ARE SO DIFFERENTÂ WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
Unlike other brands and primarily Chinese-owned marques like Volvo / Polestar, it’s not as simple as Chinese Audi products coming to America. Though Audi has been a producer in China for a very long time, Chinese market Audi products have never been sold in America.
Could they? Before the current trade barriers, other companies have made a practice at it.
Would they? Likely not. the trade war is just one more reason not to do so. Even still, Chinese market specific products, or elements of it did grab my attention. And no, it wasn’t the launch of the AUDI sub-brand and its first E5 Sportback that did so. I’ve already dug into that HERE , and have updated all of the photo assets to go with that previous piece, so will skip it almost entirely for the purpose of this story.
This is a major market auto show, something Audi does far fewer of nowadays. I also touched on comments made by a Volkswagen Group executive at the New York Auto Show and shared why I’m largely debunking what’s been read into them. More relevant to what’s going on here in North America and the rest of the world are comments made by Audi’s top executive Gernot Dollner. I’m going to dig into that in a few stories this week. For now, let’s focus on what was most interesting for North Americans to consider on the Shanghai show stand.
AUDI POINTS OF INTEREST AT AUTO SHANGHAI 2025
A5L Sportback
The new B10 Audi A5 is a bit of an enigma. Launched before the pivot back to shared alphanumerics between ICE and EV, the A5 was launched with intention to fill the gap left by the outgoing B9 A4 and A5 lineup. In Europe, the car was launched as an Avant and also a notchback that looks like a sedan but with hatchback functionality.
That’s it. Two body styles. That there’s an A5L then isn’t really that surprising. Though the latest B10 long-wheelbase “L” models are a bit more cohesive in their design than than elongated Chinese market Audi L models of yore, I don’t really count an A5L as a different bodystyle.
However, that’s not the case with the A5L Sportback. This was largely glossed over in the press materials coming out of Audi, but this is the first time we’ve seen a Sportback with more coupe-like roof in the B10 era.
China may be launching it ahead of time, but you have to wonder if a Sportback will also come to other markets now that design and stamping have been completed for this different roofline. Arguably, the profile is sexier than the A5L sedan, but at the same time would an A5 Sportback in markets such as Europe and America be redundant? Time will tell.
There are also some cool details you can see on the higher-specification A5L Sportback. I’m going to call them out point-by-point.
1.) Side Camera Pods
Many new cars have side cameras meant to better monitor blindspots or even for security to catch door dinging parking lot spot neighbors. We haven’t seen these sorts of cameras on internal combustion Audi models yet, so these are worth noting.
2.) Adjustable Glass Shade Panoramic Sunroof
The new e-tron GT lineup and also the new A6 make use of tech we first saw in the Porsche Taycan, where electronically controlled transparency in glass roofs are used as shade functions. It appears this A5 Sportback also gets that tech.
3.) Brake Light Red Rings
Audi noted the first time for red rings on the RS e-tron GT project_513/2 special edition with its test mule style livery. Those were finished in red paint, but the red rings on the back of this A5L Sportback appear to be illuminated and function as marker or brake lights.
Q5L
Like the A5, China also gets a long-wheelbase version of the Q5. This one could prove a bit more interesting, because we’ve seen Volkswagen product managers in America skip the short-wheelbase Tiguan for a longer version aligned with the Chinese long-wheelbase Tiguan. The American version of the Volkswagen isn’t built in China, but the roomier variant being applied to America where large is more appreciated isn’t lost on me here.
Up until now, Audi has only sold the shorter-wheelbase version in the USA and Canada, though if Audi moves to upright domestic production of the Q5 in the USA, producing a longer wheelbase version might help make that pencil. Like the Tiguan, the Q5 represents Audi’s top volume seller in the United States.
Like the A5L, I spotted a few details worth noting. Besides the camera pods on the front fenders just as on the A5L Sportback, one of the more interesting details is the rear brake light.
Remember the old days of ‘quattro’ script rear defrost filaments. The Autopian recently harked back to those days in a story run earlier this month. Alas, there’s no reason to believe Audi intends to revisit this super cool ’80s detail, but rear shots of the Q5L do seem to suggest a styling cue inspired by them in the form of quattro script brake or tail lights.
Look closely and it appears that the quattro script portion is projected down on the rear glass from the bottom side of the roof spoiler. I have yet to see a B10 Q5 in person, though don’t think I’ve seen this detail reported on anywhere else, so it does make you wonder if it’s coming, already here or something that will remain in the China market only like long-wheelbase models or the A8 Horch specification.
Check out a full gallery below.
PHOTO GALLERY AUDI AT AUTO SHANGHAI
