Audi plans to introduce an entry-level electric vehicle (EV) as early as next year, moving up its original 2027 timeline, CEO Gernot Döllner said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung. The model, positioned in the Audi A3 segment, will be built at the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany.
Döllner had previously stated in March 2024 that the company aimed for a three-year development cycle for a vehicle below the Q4 e-tron. The Q4 e-tron, currently produced at Volkswagen’s Zwickau plant, could be relocated by the early 2030s, according to industry speculation.
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Few details have been disclosed about the upcoming model. Döllner has described it as “a wonderful, unique independent vehicle concept,” but it remains unclear how Audi will differentiate it from other Volkswagen Group models based on the MEB platform, which will no longer be developed further after 2027. The Audi Q4 e-tron has already faced challenges competing with VW’s ID.4 and Skoda’s Enyaq while maintaining its premium pricing.
Audi is pushing ahead with electric mobility investments despite financial pressures. Last week, the company announced a cost-cutting plan that includes up to 7,500 job cuts in Germany by 2029, while also committing around €8 billion in investment into its German plants over the same period.
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Döllner acknowledged Audi’s recent sales struggles compared to rivals BMW and Tesla. “We could probably say even louder how good we already are,” he said, arguing that Audi’s current EV lineup already delivers features that competitors are still developing.
To expand its customer base, Audi will introduce the first production car from its partnership with Chinese state-owned SAIC in April. The collaboration, announced last year, includes the creation of a China-specific sub-brand that will use the name “AUDI” in capital letters but without the company’s traditional four-ring logo. Audi’s parent company Volkswagen has maintained a long-standing partnership with SAIC, recently extending their cooperation until 2040.