At the same time, the German company has left the same deadline for a complete transition to “green” cars — total electrification is scheduled for 2033.
Like many other car companies, Audi previously decided to switch completely to electric vehicles. It was previously reported that the last car with an internal combustion engine developed by the German brand will be presented in 2026, and Audi plans to stop producing cars with internal combustion engines in 2033. However, since this strategy was announced, the market situation has changed.
Pictured: Audi Q4 40 e- tron
The fact is that the current level of demand for electric vehicles in the world in general (and in Europe in particular) does not correspond to what manufacturers expected. This led to companies having to reconsider their plans. Changes in strategy were previously announced by Volkswagen, which even had to temporarily shut down its factories producing “green” models; adjustments were also made by Toyota, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Cadillac; and more recently, Ford also spoke about changes in the development strategy in Europe.
Now Audi (the brand belongs to the Volkswagen concern) has started talking about adjustments to the previously announced plans. As the British Autocar reports, citing representatives of the brand, the deadline for switching to the production of only electric vehicles remains the same — 2033. However, before that, the company intends to modernize and develop more models with internal combustion engines than the original plan. More precisely, Audi has announced a “new era of hybrids.”
In the photo: the current Audi Q5 55 TFSI e quattro crossover S line
The company explained that due to the fact that the transition from cars with internal combustion engines to electric vehicles is taking “longer than originally expected,” Audi intends to expand and modernize its line of hybrid models in the coming years. It is expected that the brand will have both electric and hybrid cars in each segment (following the example of the Audi Q5 and Q6 e-tron).
According to Audi CEO Gernot Dellner, the company's adjusted strategy is designed for the next ten years, which, according to his forecasts, will be a long transition period from models with engines running on traditional fuels to electric vehicles. The role of the “bridge,” he said, will be plug-in hybrids.
In the photo: the new Audi A5 TFSI quattro S line liftback
Future hybrids of the brand will be based on the PPC (Premium) platform Platform Combustion), which debuted last week on the Audi A5 family. The publication reports that the company has already developed new internal combustion engines that will be part of the PHEV units of the brand’s models. They will also have a traction battery of increased capacity; the range when driving on electric power alone will be approximately 100 km.
According to Gernot Dellner, the company expects that subsequently “electric vehicles will become mainstream.” Audi's «first generation» range of electric vehicles is reported to debut in 2027. The company is expected to launch its latest internal combustion engine model a year before. There is an assumption that its role will be played by the next-generation Audi Q7 (prototypes of the new product have already been seen in road tests).