11:47 am, December 20, 2023
Audi’s boss has said the premium brand is reviewing the rollout of new electric vehicles so it doesn’t ‘overwhelm the team and the dealerships’.
New CEO Gernot Döllner said in an interview with Automotive News Europe that it had ‘first looked at what order and density of launches the organisation could handle’ leading to a decision to spread them out.
Originally, Audi had announced it would launch 20 new models by 2026, of which 10 would be fully electric.
It was due to begin with the Q6 e-tron (pictured above), also the first on the new PPE platform, but this has been delayed several times due to VW software issues. It’s now expected this will arrive in the second quarter of 2024.
According to the report from Automotive News, Audi is now planning another fully-electric model release next year along with two internal combustion engine (ICE) models, followed by another ICE model in 2025.
Döllner has been tasked with increasing profitability at the German brand from 9% to its previous 13%, following his appointment by VW Group CEO Oliver Blume.
Blume had singled out Audi has missing its potential, with VW Group’s premium brands – also including Bentley and Lamborghini – generating the bulk of its revenue.
Audi, like other premium German brands, faces changes to regulations around phasing out ICE alongside a wide-range of new Chinese EVs with appealing tech and price tag.
This has seen traditional car brands relying on petrol or diesel vehicle sales.
Döllner told Automotive News: ‘At the moment, we play a relevant role especially in the combustion engine segment.
‘Our task with both partners is to make the Audi brand a relevant player in the EV segment as well.’
