Audi highlighted plans to produce an electrified variant in each model series by 2025, so that every customer has the option of buying an electrified model by the middle of the next decade. Most of them are to be fully electric, with a smaller proportion as plug-in hybrids.
“Our ambition has always been and will continue to be Vorsprung durch Technik,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG.
Our goal is to revolutionize mobility. Also in electric mobility
We want to become the Number 1 among the premium manufacturers – with full suitability for everyday use, no compromises, top quality and driving pleasure for the customer. With our technological excellence, we are utilizing our Vorsprung and lifting electric mobility to the next level.”
By 2025, Audi will be putting €40 billion into strategic areas such as e-mobility, autonomous driving and digitisation. This also applies to the digitisation of production.
For its Roadmap E, the company is making systematic use of two major Volkswagen Group synergy levers in the area of development. In addition to the Modular Electric Toolkit developed by Volkswagen for the compact segment, Audi and Porsche are working together to implement the premium-architecture electrification for mid-range, full-size and luxury-class electric cars.
There will be more than 20 electrified models made in rapid succession until 2025. In 2019, the Audi e-tron Sportback will be the second fully electric car to be launched, followed by the Audi e-tron GT from Audi Sport in 2020. Audi will also offer an electric model in the premium compact segment in 2020.
“Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Vorsprung durch Technik, we will also present our first autonomous electric car based on our Audi Aicon show car in 2021. An interurban shuttle with lounge character – initially in a pilot fleet and around the middle of the decade as a series-production car for automated driving,” says Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG.
See full Audi release.
EVINFO comment: Audi, like the other members of VAG are making a big push for EVs that so far has given us the e Golf and a couple of Plug Ins. We await real evidence of these future cars with excitement. Audi like Mercedes have huge investments and expertise in Diesel technologies and have to commit all these to the bin as Diesel sales continue to plunge.
The other main obstacle they need to overcome is the dealer. These customer contact point will need substantial re-education about selling and maintaining EVs. The dealers also need to work out to live without large service and maintenance bills as EVs have signficantly lower running costs and hardly ever need a real service.
