The Audi e-tron GT leaves the Chinese market

As we told you here at HighMotor, the four-ring brand recently renewed its top-of-the-range model, the e-tron GT. A renewal that, however, Chinese drivers will not be able to enjoy, since, as we have just learned, Audi is going to withdraw this model from its range in this Asian country.

German media are reporting the news these days, stating that Audi will stop offering the e-tron GT in China. The company has officially justified this decision on the basis of its new corporate strategy. Management at Audi explains that in this market the company is following the approach “In China for China“. This means that the vehicles the brand sells there will be produced locally and specifically adapted to the needs of customers in this country.

In this way, there is no longer room in Audi’s range in the Chinese market for a model like the e-tron GT, produced at the German Böllinger Höfe plant in Neckarsulm. A decision that is especially striking, however, since at the presentation of the renewed e-tron GT, Audi described this model as the standard-bearer of electric mobility at the cutting edge.

Sales volume lower than expected

Beyond the justification offered by the company, the reality is that the e-tron GT has not sold particularly well in China in recent years, which has surely made the decision to stop importing it easier. The figures published by German media, based on data from the consultancy JPW Asia, show that since the end of 2022 only 188 units of the e-tron GT have been sold in China.

Audi initially launched the RS e-tron GT on the Chinese market at the end of 2022, with prices starting at around 186,500 euros at current exchange rates. The base version of this electric sports car has only been sold there since August 2023, with prices starting at around 127,000 euros at current exchange rates.

The limited success of this model in China has ultimately meant that, less than a year and a half later, the series has come to an end. Everything points to the company wanting to concentrate there, from now on, on models based on the PPE platform. Audi has already presented the Q6L e-tron, a version of the Q6 e-tron with a longer wheelbase for the Chinese market, and this one will also be sold there later on. Meanwhile, the Q5 e-tron, based on the MEB platform and developed specifically for that market, is still on sale there.