It’s been an interesting month in the automotive industry. By now you’ve probably heard about Jaguar’s controversial rebrand, which has got everyone from design experts to Elon Musk talking. Indeed, Jaguargate has arguably overshadowed another notable car design story – but people are starting to notice Audi’s slightly baffling branding move from earlier this month.
Audi’s New EV Brand: AUDI
When it comes to iconic logos, few are more famous than those four interlocking rings. So it’s somewhat surprising that the brand is ditching them for a new EV brand named, wait for it, AUDI. Yes, Audi has unveiled a new EV range in China, sporting, instead of one of the best logos ever, a new capitalised wordmark.
The new Audi wordmark
(Image credit: ThinkCar via X)
Audi’s Rationale
Audi says the new branding “signals both the connection to and differentiation from the sister brand. Based in and tailored for China, brand and car represent the best of both worlds – unmistakable Audi DNA meets China innovations… breaking new ground to tap into new and more tech-savvy customer segments.”
Reaction from Audi Fans
But after a slow start, perhaps because Jaguar came along and took all those column inches, the reactions are coming in – and it seems Audi fans aren’t impressed. “Honestly? This is hilarious. It’s one of those things that make you believe the simulation is real and the creator is going for maximum silliness,” one Redditor comments, while another adds, “Next week: Mercedes launches ‘MERCEDES’.”
(Image credit: Audi)
Audi’s CEO on the Branding Change
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner says the branding change is designed to meet the different expectations of Chinese customers. “Chinese premium customers are different from their international counterparts and have different expectations: they are younger than in the rest of the world. They are more tech-savvy. They expect leading connectivity as well as automated driving.”
Conclusion
While it makes sense that Audi is leaning into its EV partnership with SAIC in order to specifically target the Chinese market, it’s strange that it would deliberately omit such an iconic logo. Indeed, even the slightest tweaks to the tried-and-tested design have caused controversy in recent years, from the brand’s misjudged ‘socially distanced’ logo to the flattening of the rings, have proven, fans are particularly previous about the Audi logo. Surely getting rid of it, even for a specific range, is going to cause even more furore?
FAQs
Q: Why is Audi introducing a new brand?
A: Audi is introducing a new brand to specifically target the Chinese market and meet the different expectations of Chinese customers.
Q: What is the name of the new brand?
A: The name of the new brand is AUDI, without the four rings logo.
Q: Why is Audi omitting the iconic logo?
A: Audi is omitting the iconic logo to differentiate the new brand from the sister brand and to appeal to a younger, more tech-savvy audience in China.
Q: Will the new brand be available outside of China?
A: It’s unclear whether the new brand will be available outside of China at this time.
