That came suddenly: Audi boss Markus Duesmann has to go and will be replaced by Volkswagen chief strategist Gernot Döllner. Duesmann leaves the plan for a flood of innovations from Ingolstadt: no fewer than eight models are on the agenda, five of which are fully electric.
In recent years, Audi has shown how to skilfully bridge a lack of new products in the media with the four futuristic studies Skysphere, Grandsphere, Urbansphere and Activesphere. Whether and what will become of them is unlikely to take shape until the middle of the decade. The Grandsphere and the Urbansphere have good chances at series level. They could become the successor to the A8 and a luxury van for the Chinese market. We’ll see the Q6 later this year. The Q6 e-tron drives much closer to reality. With it, the Ingolstadt-based company will start their race to catch up in terms of electrification at the beginning of next year (market launch). However, the electric SUV will have its debut at the end of 2023. It would not only have been Markus Duesmann’s first electric car under his leadership as CEO (if he didn’t have to leave his chair), but also Audi’s first model on the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) developed together with Porsche. The Zuffenhausen-based company uses them for the electric Macan. PPE is designed for 800 volts and high charging power (up to 270 kW) and is suitable for both high-floor (SUV) and flat-floor chassis (sedans). The latter is intended for the A6 e-tron, which will also be launched in 2024 . The sedan is based closely on the study shown in China in 2021 and should be given the nickname Sportback due to its five-door coupé shape. The A6 e-tron Avant study in 2022 also demonstrated the extent to which head of design Marc Lichte expresses his motto “Flat is the new premium” when it comes to battery vehicles. The Strom-Kombi – the first from a German car manufacturer – was extremely well received by the public and is scheduled to be launched in 2024. It can be heard that Audi Sport GmbH is already rubbing its hands with relish to form an RS offshoot from it. Up to 700 kilometers rangeA6 e-tron Sportback, A6 e-tron Avant and Q6 e-tron as well as the coupé derivative Q6 In all likelihood, e-tron Sportbacks will have battery capacities of between around 80 and 100 kWh. A range of up to 700 kilometers (WLTP) should then be possible, at least for the basic sedan (with an electric motor). In the combustion engine version, it will continue to be based on the modular longitudinal matrix (MLB), which in a further developed form and based on the PPE is now called PPC (Premium Platform Combustion). Accordingly, electrified diesel and petrol engines and, for the first time, a plug-in hybrid are being introduced. What is changing is a new nomenclature. In the future, combustion engines will have odd model numbers at Audi, while the e-tron models will have even numbers. So today’s A4 not only becomes an A5, but also an A5 Sportback, since Audi is probably saying goodbye to the classic notchback with the new generation in Europe and tending more in the direction of a coupe. An A5 Avant will follow a few months later. The A4 e-tron Sportback will be available much later than planned, probably not until 2027. The model could then already be based on the newly developed 800-volt SSP (Scalable Systems Platform). As with the A6 e-tron Avant, Audi should also bring an Avant derivative to the A4 e-tron series. The successor is coming in 2024. The mid-range SUV will use all the engines that can be found in the A5, with the exception of the fully electric ones. The Q6 e-tron takes over this part. In the same year, Audi will provide the Q5 with the almost obligatory Sportback variant. In 2025, the Q3 will be renewed, as was the case with the Q5 series for the last time with combustion engines. Customers will again be able to choose a Sportback variant for this series. Naming problems with the A3 successor The big question remains as to what Audi will do with the A3. Duesmann has already announced that there will be a fully electric model (around 2027) in this segment. Just what will it be called? According to the new nomenclature, an A2 e-tron should actually be at the rear. The marketing strategists should have a hard time with that. The customer could associate this with a devaluation to a smaller class. At the same time, however, the A2 e-tron would be a homage to the first A2, at least in terms of its name. The legendary all-aluminum small car was built between 1999 and 2005.1 The successor to the A6 is less complicated. It will become the A7 in 2025, because combustion engines and plug-in hybrids are still working under the hood. The same applies to the Q7, which will be launched in 2026. In the same year, Audi will offer the SUV a larger variant with the same technology, the Q9. The luxury liner is intended for China and the USA, but it will certainly also meet with good demand in Europe. (SPX)
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