In 2023, we were still able to report on continuously rising sales figures for electric cars, but things look bleak in 2024. In view of the current weakness in demand, many brands are currently making statements: The switch to electric drive is taking longer than expected, customers are not being attracted, and sales of combustion engines and plug-in hybrids are expected to remain high. This is now also the case at Audi.
The transition phase from vehicles with combustion engines to electric cars is becoming longer, company boss Gernot Döllner told journalists. However, the goal announced three years ago of only offering electric cars from 2033 remains in place, Autocar quotes the manager as saying. For the nine years until Audi's combustion engines phase-out, the company anticipates a lower demand for purely electric cars (BEVs).
Instead, customers will turn to plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), according to the Audi boss. The PHEV range will therefore be expanded. Recently available again with 125 kW and a small 52 kWh battery: Audi's electric bestseller Q4 e-tron Audi e-tron GT: The equivalent of the Porsche Taycan recently received a facelift Audi currently offers four electric models: the three SUVs Q4 e-tron, Q6 e-tron (cover photo) and Q8 e-tron as well as the Gran Turismo e-tron GT.
They will soon be joined by the A6 e-tron saloon and estate , which are due to be launched on the market in 2024. The A4 e-tron will then follow next year, and work is also underway on equivalents to the A3 and A8 , according to the article. This would then cover all core segments from the compact to the luxury class, however, it remains to be seen whether Audi will also offer a small electric car like the A1.
Audi has not yet announced an entry-level electric car in the €25,000 (£21,000) segment, as is the case with VW, Skoda and Cupra . The Audi A6 e-tron should look something like this (image: study from 2021) Döllner is convinced that electric cars will prevail in the long term, but you can see now, "that the bridge is longer than we initially thought." We are still seeing growth in battery electric cars, "it's just that the growth rates have slowed down.
" According to Döllner, plug-in hybrids are becoming increasingly relevant, especially in China and the USA. The aim is to react flexibly to this. The next generation of PHEVs will be equipped with new combustion engines and a significantly larger battery, which should enable them to cover around 60 miles on electric power alone.
The two plug-in hybrids that Audi is planning based on the new A5 are likely to be among the first of these vehicles. They are to be launched in 2025, have 300 and 367 PS respectively and are based on the new 2.0-litre TFSI with an improved combustion process.
Ranges of more than 62 miles are possible, as Motor1 learnt at the A5 launch. Audi A5 (2024), here as an estate: the first car based on PPC According to the article, the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) combustion platform, on which the new Audi A5 including estate ( Motor1 ) and the upcoming Q5 are based, will also support range extender drives, i.e.
electric drives in which the electricity is produced by a combustion engine and a generator. Audi has not yet revealed whether and when such vehicles are planned. More from Audi: The bottom line The general stance was set by VW boss Oliver Blume.
He recently said that he did not believe in questioning the entire (electric) strategy because of weak demand. His brand boss Döllner is also following this approach. He is sticking to the end of the combustion engine in 2033, but is flexible when it comes to the details.
.
