AUDI E5 Sportback finally launched in China, racks up 10k orders in 30 minutes

Still among the most bizarre decisions Audi has ever made, its AUDI sub-brand (yes, that is just Audi in all caps) has finally launched its E5 Sportback, some five months after it made its debut at Auto Shanghai. The timing may have been tardy, but this first joint venture model with SAIC wasted no time racking up the orders, with 10,153 pre-sales achieved within just 30 minutes of the launch.

Built on the co-developed Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP) and sharing componentry with the likes of the IM L6 and LS6, the E5 Sportback is available in four variants, with prices ranging from 235,900 yuan (RM139,000) to 319,900 yuan (RM188,500) – about the same as an A5L. For that money, you get a choice of either rear- or quattro all-wheel drive, both in standard and long range versions.

In standard trim, the E5 Sportback makes 299 PS (220 kW) and 420 Nm of torque, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds. With a 76 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the claimed range is 618 km on China’s lenient CLTC cycle.

The quattro variant boosts the rear motor to 314 PS (231 kW) and 475 Nm and adds a front motor making 211 PS (155 kW) and 250 Nm. This results in a total system output of 525 PS (386 kW) and 725 Nm, rocketing the car to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds. Despite this, a slightly larger 83 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery enables the car to eke out slightly more range at 623 km.

Stepping up to the RWD plus model increases the battery capacity still further to a round 100 kWh, enabling an impressive 773 km of range – very slightly higher than previously predicted. It also boosts the rear motor to 408 PS (300 kW) and 500 Nm for a zero-to-100 km/h time of five seconds flat.

At the top of the range sits the long range quattro that turns the power to 11 – the rear motor to an astonishing 515 PS and the front motor to 272 PS (200 kW) and 300 Nm. All in all, this thing produces a heady 787 PS (579 kW) and 800 Nm, blitzing the century sprint in just 3.4 seconds. With the same 100 kWh battery, the range is slightly shorter at 647 km.

In terms of DC fast charging, the E5 can be topped up from 10 to 80% in under 13 minutes for the base model and 17 minutes with the largest 100 kWh battery. One outlier is the mid-tier quattro version, which takes a yawning 35 minutes for the same metric; we suspect that this variant has a 400-volt electrical architecture rather than the usual 800 volts. Also disappointing is AC charging speed that is capped at just 6.6 kW for the lower-rung models, and even the 100 kWh battery only maxes out at 11 kW.

Under the skin, the E5 rides on double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension, with air suspension, adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering fitted to the flagship quattro variant. A 6.6 kWh vehicle-to-load (V2L) function is fitted standard.

Essentially the production version of last year’s E concept, the E5 has been catered specifically for the Chinese customer. It being spun off from the main Audi brand means it can ditch Ingolstadt’s iconic design cues, such as the “quattro” box flares and the singleframe grille.

In their place are rounded haunches and a new Light Frame – a black ring that encircles the entire front end, incorporating the slim LED headlights with optional matrix technology, the AUDI script, driving assistance sensors and air inlets. This is framed by an illuminated tessellated pattern made up of more than 1,000 lighting elements, which come with a welcome animation on the top-spec model.

Moving further back, you’ll find a black roof and a kinked window line that leads up to the thick body-coloured D-pillars, while the rear end receives the same Light Frame as the front, here forming the taillights. A front spoiler, flush pop-out door handles, an elongated rear wing and optional digital rear view mirrors improve aerodynamic efficiency, with a drag coefficient as low as 0.252.

Step inside through the also-optional powered doors and you’ll find that the E5 Sportback adopts several design cues already common in Chinese vehicles. These include a full-width 27-inch panel that incorporates a driver’s display and a single infotainment touchscreen for the centre and front passenger, as well as headrest speakers (connected to an available Bose sound system) and an expansive centre console with storage for two phones and a 50-watt Qi wireless charger.

You also get ambient lighting strips built into the wood inlays – imported from North America, no less, AUDI claims – and an optional electrochromic glass roof. Particular attention has been paid to the front seats, which feature a nine-layer composite structure for optimum support and an eight-point massage function with four modes and three speed settings.

The E5’s infotainment is underpinned by a new AUDI OS, running on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip and coming with an AI-powered AUDI Assistant – this, as is usual for Chinese cars these days, can accept multiple commands at once, and is visualised through a 4.29-inch AUDI Smart Island touch panel with 24 “personalities”. There’s also an app store that incorporates facial recognition, plus a zonal electrical architecture that allows next-generation connectivity and over-the-air updates for all vehicle systems.

This is a car designed for China, so of course the E5 gets highly-automated city and highway driving in the form of AUDI 360 Assisted Driving. Thanks to a lidar sensor, Adaptive Cruise Assist can evade obstacles, identify red lights and perform automated lane changes and U-turns; it can even detect tricycles and delivery riders, Audi says. Autonomous emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and a door opening warning all come as standard.