Audi has announced that it will introduce only electric vehicles from 2026 and discontinue models powered by the combustion engine in 2033. Reaffirming its commitment to EVs, Four Rings plans to build zero-emission vehicles at all factories by 2029. This is already happening at the Böllinger site Höfe (Germany) and Brussels (Belgium), with Ingolstadt (Germany) following next year when the E-Tron Q6 will start rolling off the assembly line.
In the next six years, EV production will begin at the Neckarsulm (Germany), San José Chiapa (Mexico) and Győr (Hungary) factories. Audi said it would build new factories only in areas that needed additional production capacity. For this reason, a new factory is being built with FAW partners in Changchun (China) for PPE-based electric vehicles. Construction will be completed by the end of 2024.
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At the same time, Audi will invest around €500 million by the middle of the decade to train its employees in EV production worldwide. The luxury brands part of the Volkswagen Group has set an ambitious target of cutting annual factory costs in half by 2033. Achieving this goal will be made possible by reducing complexity with more EVs and less ICE. An efficient production process will be implemented from the start. The Q6 E-Tron will be assembled on the same assembly line as the A4 and A5, with electric cars to gradually replace the combustion engine model in the coming years.
Lest we forget that Audi has signaled the demise of its two conventionally powered cars by disclosing that it has no intention of updating the A1 supermini and Q2 subcompact crossover after the current-generation model runs its course. In addition, the V10-powered R8 supercar will disappear while the more affordable TT sports car will also die.
The flagship A8 will likely turn into a flagship EV later this decade, with the electric car of the future to be shaped after Audi’s Sphere concept. The next one, dubbed Activesphere, will premiere on January 26.