INGOLSTADT, Germany — Audi sellers’ present stock woes could not abate till effectively into subsequent yr because the premium model continues to battle to safe sufficient microchips to maintain its factories working, although the scarcity in wire harnesses ensuing from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has eased, a prime model government mentioned.
Oliver Hoffmann, head of technical improvement at Audi AG, mentioned the manufacturing challenges throughout a press briefing on upcoming battery-electric and combustion-powered fashions.
Audi’s U.S. sellers have been scraping by with few new automobiles to promote for a lot of the final yr as provide shortages have hampered manufacturing at its factories in Germany and Mexico. Sales have been down 35 % within the first quarter to 35,505, and the stock tracker on its audiusa.com web site confirmed simply lower than 16,000 new automobiles in inventory at its dealerships within the continental U.S. midweek.
Hoffmann did say, nonetheless, that wire harness shortages that slowed the model’s manufacturing within the spring had largely cleared up.
In different feedback, he laid out some particulars of an aggressive product plan for the German premium model because it transitions to an all-EV lineup. Audi plans to introduce 20 new EV and ICE-powered fashions by 2025, and 20 new EV fashions are coming to market in 2023-27.
While it’s unclear how particular automobiles and their derivatives have been being counted, the model is predicted to proceed to supply conventional sedans, crossovers and sportback crossover fashions, in addition to its RS and S efficiency variants, because it transitions to EV-only manufacturing (outdoors of China) by 2033.
Audi, a part of Volkswagen Group, can be transitioning its lineup onto a modular platform, developed in partnership with sibling model Porsche. Hoffmann revealed that the model has bifurcated that platform based mostly on powertrain, with the dwindling variety of future ICE-powered automobiles to share a standard platform referred to as PPC, whereas future EVs would transition to a battery-powered model referred to as PPE.
The PPC platform would substitute the present MLB platform which now underlies Audi’s A4 by way of A8 sedans and coupes, in addition to its current Q5 by way of Q8 crossovers within the U.S.
Based on earlier ideas and the model’s automobile life cycles, the primary PPE-based EV is predicted to be a brand new Q6 crossover, which might arrive within the U.S. in 2024. Both new platforms would share some frequent elements, together with infotainment techniques, Hoffmann mentioned.
Asked by Automotive News whether or not Audi would possibly develop its personal future automobile or automobiles on the rugged truck platform that VW Group mentioned it would use to develop a Scout-branded pickup and SUV within the U.S., Hoffmann mentioned the model was exploring the likelihood however had not but determined.
Source: www.autonews.com
