Pretty much everyone knows by now that China’s car market is different from the one in America and Europe. Chinese car buyers want a tech-heavy car that’s also affordable and luxurious, which has forced Western automakers to ditch their traditional offerings and go for a local approach.

It’s why Audi, like others, has set up a separate brand in China and is relying on two EVs built from the ground up for the Chinese market. The company’s all-caps AUDI marque tapped SAIC, its Chinese partner, to make the E5 Sportback and E7X EVs, and they’re quite impressive, sitting on 800- and 900-volt platforms and featuring interiors that look like movie theaters and not ordinary cars.

Audi never intended to sell these EVs in Europe, but an independent company is doing it anyway. Auto China, which has been known to import, homologate, and register Chinese-only cars like the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and Zeekr 9X, is now doing the same with Audi’s offerings.

Despite the added costs for shipping and homologation, the top-spec Audi E5 and E7X are actually cheaper than their European-made counterparts. For instance, the E5 has a dual-motor, 776-horsepower powertrain and a 100-kilowatt-hour battery, but it’s a whopping €28,000 ($32,500) more affordable than the S6 Sportback e-tron. The sporty European EV is also powered by a 100 kWh battery, but power is down to 543 hp.

A screenshot showing Auto China's website, with the two Chinese AUDI EVs listed for sale.

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