Audi’s EV logo change sounds a bizarre branding move

When it comes to iconic logos, few are more recognisable than those four interlocking rings. And before you accuse me of miscounting the number of shapes in the Oympic logo, I’m talking about Audi. The German automobile brand possess one of the most coveted brand assets on the road – so surely it’d never want to get rid of it? 

In somewhat surprising news, Reuters claims that Audi is planning to do away with the logo on its new China EV series. According to sources, Audi’s new electric cars series developed in China for the Chinese market will not sport its four-ring design (arguably one of the best logos) at all. 

The move is due to “brand image consideration,” a source close to Audi claims, and is designed to reflect an “increased reliance on local suppliers and technologies.”  The cars are being developed with Chinese partner SAIC, which insists that the new vehicles will be “true Audi with authentic Audi DNA”. While Audi hasn’t commented on the rumours, sources claim that the new series is codenamed ‘Purple’, and will launch in November.

While it makes sense that Audi is leaning into its EV partnership with SAIC in order to specifically target the Chinese market, it’s strange that it would deliberately omit such an iconic logo. Indeed, even the slightest tweaks to the tried-and-tested design have caused controversy in recent years, from the brand’s misjudged ‘socially distanced’ logo to the flattening of the rings, have proven, fans are particularly previous about the Audi logo. Surely getting rid of it, even for a specific range, is going to cause even more furore? As one Redditor puts it, “Not sure man, I feel like the brand is a big thing for companies like Audi – even in China.”

It’ll be interesting to see what design language Audi decides to adopt, whether’s it’s a simple wordmark or a brand new logo. If the company does move in the latter direction, it’d do well not to take design cues from Kia.