Audi has announced its most unlikely partnership yet after teaming up with SAIC, the parent company of MG and LDV, to sell electric vehicles in China.
The news was confirmed by Chinese news agency, Jiemian News, which says that SAIC came to an agreement with the German carmaker to use one of its EV platforms.
Plans were previously on the table for Audi to use its own parent company’s electric architecture, Volkswagen Group’s Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), but those hopes have since been quashed by lengthy delays.
Instead, Audi plans to use the same underpinnings as SAIC’s IM Motors L7 sedan and LS7 SUV. The platform caters for both rear- and all-wheel drive powertrains and could be used on production versions of the Activesphere, Urbansphere, Skysphere and Grandsphere, according to Inside EVs.
However, Audi is still working on its own platform with Porsche, called Performance Platform Electric (PPE), for use in its upcoming high-performance models.
The partnership between Audi and SAIC couldn’t come at a better time too, considering the Chinese car market is currently booming for EVs. Brands that have yet to capitalise on this are now facing the consequences, a case in point being Mitsubishi which recently pulled out of China in its entirety due to a lack of EV offering, resulting in poor sales.
“All stakeholders agree that the Chinese auto market is in the midst of the biggest transformation in its history,” SAIC stated. “Therefore, we will jointly work on a strategic approach that guarantees our future success.”
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