- Twelve production e-vehicles by 2025
- Electric drive in all key market segments
- Expansion of plug-in portfolio
Ingolstadt/San Francisco, September 25, 2018 – The brand with the four rings has launched its electrification offensive with the world premiere of the Audi e-tron. By 2025, Audi will offer 12 automobiles with all-electric drive in the most important markets worldwide and achieve roughly one-third of its sales with electrified models. The SUVs in this portfolio include the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback debuting in 2019. A series of models with classic body layouts such as Avant and Sportback will also be available. The range will cover every relevant market segment from the compact to the full-size class.
"The Audi e-tron is definitely a highlight in the history of our company and the starting signal for our electrification strategy," says Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG.
A total of four technical platforms and product families are the prerequisite for offering electric vehicles in every segment from A to D. Close collaboration between Technical Development and other Group brands leverages the synergies required for a broad, global range that also offers optimal prospects of financial success.
The Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback use components from Audi's modular longitudinal platform. This and numerous innovative technologies primarily in the area of drive systems are giving rise to a separate product family of e-SUVs with electric quattro all-wheel drive. Fast charging with up to 150kW and ample range suitable for long-distance journeys are benchmarks in this class.
Audi will present the first member of another e-platform by the end of 2018: the Audi e-tron GT concept showcar, a highly dynamic coupe with a flat floor assembly, is debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The technology in this vehicle was developed in collaboration with Porsche; the design and character of the e-tron GT concept are packed full of unmistakable Audi DNA.
Another joint project of the development departments at Audi and Porsche is the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). It will be the basis for multiple Audi model families with all-electric drive covering the high-volume B through D segments of the market.
Both SUVs and classic body concepts are planned here. A major strength of the PPE is that it was developed exclusively for electric drive, offering advantages with respect to weight, the package and the proportions of the body.
Several Volkswagen Group brands are collaborating on the development of the modular electrification platform (MEB), which serves as the basis for a series of Audi e-models, particularly in the high-volume A segment. One of these is being developed specifically for the requirements of China, the single most important market.
AUDI AG will also greatly expand its range of plug-in hybrid vehicles.
"In the future, virtually every market segment will include models powered by a combination of electric motors and a combustion engine, and that can be charged at an electric outlet," says Mr Mertens.
– ENDS –
The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2017, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.878 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,815 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,900 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.