Until a few years ago, V8-animated models like the Audi RS7 used to be a mere dream in the US. Fortunately, that’s no longer true, with the Audi RS7 Performance having come to America for the 2024 model year, so you may have seen one on the road since the calendar shows May 2024. The only downside is the $128,895 MSRP of the German machine. However, a group of bold Chinese enthusiasts has a plan that could get you a fake Audi RS7 for the kind of money the owner of a genuine Ingolstadt model would spend on optional features.
The budget-friendly fake RS7 may contain traces of Audi and I’m referring to the front bumper, which comes from the current, second-generation model. Of course, this could always be a copycat rather than a genuine Audi part, since it’s placed on a Changan UNI-V.
The Changan UNI-V is like a Civic that tries to be an Audi, hence this fake RS7 project using it as a base
Back in 2021 when Changan, the smallest of China’s “Big Four” automakers, introduced the Uni-V, the liftback sedan grabbed everybody’s attention thanks to its resemblance to the second-generation Audi A7, despite this being more of a competitor for the Honda Civic Si thanks to its FWD and 184.25 in. (4,680 mm) length.
And, even though the same year saw Audi introducing the China-only A7 L model with an extended wheelbase and a more traditional four-door body type, the UNI-V imitates the A7 the rest of the world gets.
Now, Changan offers the Uni-V in two trims: Sport and Premium, with the differences coming from elements like the wheels, bumpers, exhaust tips, and others. This example is a Uni-V Premium that’s been taken to a garage in China where mechanics cut off its front bumper, replacing it with the said RS7 bumper.
Mixing and matching wasn’t exactly a straightforward job—even with the Chinese model’s design copying that of the German one, the guys who did this fake Audi RS7 had to do some extra cutting. Then they “welded” the plastic, which is done by using a magic stapler gun usually destined for fixing broken or cracked plastic pieces. This works by heating the staples and pushing them into the plastic to secure everything. Once this part was done, plastic body filler was applied and I have to admit the integration is impressive.
The Changan UNI-V iDD PHEV makes as much power as the base 2023 Audi A7
As for what’s behind that bumper, the UNI-V’s base engine is a 1.5L turbo-four making 185 hp. Unsurprisingly, you’ll be in a totally different universe compared to the RS7 Performance’s 591 hp twin-turbo 4.0L V8.
However, as Car News China writes, if you opt for the UNI-V iDD, which is the plug-in hybrid model introduced for 2023, that 1.5L turbo is mixed with a 165 hp electric motor that pushes the overall output to 335 hp, which is exactly the max power figure of the 2023 Audi A7, with its turbocharged 3.0L V6.
Then again, while the 2024 Audi RS7 Performance, the only RS7 version offered in the US, kicks off at the said $128,000, the Changan UNI-V would start at $22,000 if offered on the North American market. So while the factory unit doesn’t seem like a bad deal for that kind of money, trying to completely erase the visual boundaries between this and its Audi “muse” will probably sour the entire story for most people.
Excuses for this faux Audi RS7 project—I found this on the car for parts Instagram page—that tries to beat Changan at its own game? One could say the result is not that different from OEM+ tuning, the kind of customization that produced the G81 BMW M3 Touring CSL Mihnea showed you back in May, right?
Regardless, you’ll find a review of the standard Changan UNI-V in the Wheelsboy video below. And some aspects, such as the look of the interior, might surprise you given the price of the machine. Even so, this conversion is sure to start a fiery debate and that’s putting it mildly.
