Audi has officially decided that the one-size-fits-all global car is a dead idea, shifting its focus toward building vehicles tailored specifically for its biggest separate markets. Company executives argue that engineering a single vehicle to satisfy every global market at once no longer adds up, prompting a strategic pivot to design separate models shaped around what local buyers actually want.
A Local-for-Local Approach for Key Global Markets
Rouven Mohr, Audi’s chief technical officer, stated that no single model can win over shoppers in North America, Europe, and China all at once. This fragmentation in consumer preferences explains why the brand stood up the new AUDI marque in China alongside partner SAIC to build cars made specifically for that market. According to Mohr, tastes have drifted too far apart for a single answer to hold.
“I think the idea of the global car – so one car that fits the world – this is gone, to be honest, because it’s not fitting anymore in the US (and) in China,” Mohr told Go Auto. “You need this kind of local-for-local pillar.”
Diverging Consumer Tastes Shape New Models
In China, the AUDI brand helps meet the needs of local consumers who want tech-focused cars akin to smartphones on wheels, paired with the most advanced self-driving systems. Conversely, buyers in Europe appreciate less emphasis on screens and prefer tactile controls, buttons, and switches. Despite these European preferences, Audi continues to roll out its curved digital dashboards across an increasing number of its European models.
Slashing Development Times to ‘China Speed’
Moving away from global cars is also allowing Audi to significantly speed up vehicle development. The automaker revealed it is now developing vehicles at “China speed” by establishing “project houses” where development teams maintain direct access to the board, making the approval process much quicker.
This streamlined approach has already helped Audi launch the limited-run Nuvolari supercar, which was created as a spiritual successor to the Audi R8 and features the same basic twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain as the Lamborghini Temerario. Moving forward, the company’s fast new development cycles will allow it to launch a production version of the Concept C sports car, which will replace the Audi TT.
