A look at the numbers shows that volume isn’t everything. The almost 1.6 million Audi deliveries in 2022 sound anything but impressive – also because the main competitors BMW and Mercedes sold significantly more vehicles in the past year. But the Audi sales figures ensure an impressive record result for the four rings themselves and in particular for the Volkswagen brand consortium, because despite the ongoing supply difficulties with parts and full order books, Audi earned 7.6 billion euros – an increase of 40 percent compared to the successful previous year 2021. “Our operating profit reached a record level of 7.6 billion euros. The operating return on sales was a strong 12.2 percent. This shows that we coped well with the turbulence in 2022 and consistently took advantage of opportunities,” says CFO Jürgen Rittersberger. “With net cash flow, we have reached a strong level that is also the second-highest value in the company’s history.”
But the record numbers are only one thing, because the car manufacturer from Ingolstadt wants to start a model offensive in the coming years, which should also bring sales back up to the two million mark. First of all, it hurts the Bavarians that the important Audi Q6 Etron is still a long time coming. It is currently being developed together with the Porsche Macan and is about a year behind the previous planning. At best, the Ingolstadt-based company is helped by the fact that BMW currently only offers a Chinese electric version of its X3 combustion engine with its iX3 and the Mercedes EQC offers a less than convincing performance. However, more and more competitors from China and the Mercedes EQE SUV are now putting new pressure on the elegant middle class with a plug. “We are facing the biggest model offensive in our history. By 2025 we will be presenting more than 20 new models, more than ten of which will be electric,” emphasizes Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, “our path is towards 100 percent electromobility. We want to offer a purely electric vehicle in all core segments by 2027. For the electric entry, we have also decided on a new model below the Audi Q4 E-tron.” In other words, contrary to what was planned for a long time, Audi will also get an electric entry-level model that, like the Q4 Etron, is on the MEB platform .
But the money is more likely to be earned in the classes above and so many are waiting for the new models in the middle and upper classes. Like its technical twin, the Porsche Macan, the new Audi Q6 is said to have battery packs with around 100 kWh that are fitted with prismatic cells. Audi is using this new technology for the first time since upgrading the Etron to the Q8 Etron. It can be charged with the fast 800-volt technology, which enables a maximum of 270 kW. In less than half an hour, the battery pack in the underbody of the electric SUV should be boosted from five to 80 percent. While the electric Porsche Macan of the next generation, as an obligatory all-wheel drive vehicle, is said to have an output of up to 450 kW / 612 PS / 1,000 Nm, the top model of the Audi Q6 E-Tron, like the coupé version, should offer slightly less power in order to remain priced below the Macan to be able to
After the long-awaited Audi Q6 Etron, the model range is split by name. The electric models will be available with an even number in the nomenclature (A4, Q6, Q8, etc.), while odd numbers are emblazoned on the rear of the combustion engine. The successor to the current Audi A4 is then called the A5 or the sports versions S5 / RS5. The reason is obvious, because in future the customer should find it easier to tell the bulging portfolio apart. The question remains whether the Etron name suffix of the electric models will be retained in the long term or, like some competitors, will be deleted because the future models will be purely electric. For example, Mercedes wants to make its EQ signet disappear as early as 2024, and E-Tech at Renault should also be a thing of the past in good time.
With its near-series study of the A6 Avant E-Tron Concept, Audi already gave a concrete preview of its upcoming luxury-class generation last year. It should not only score as a combustion engine (A7/S7/RS7), but also set new standards as a powerful electric version. “With the Audi A6 Avant E-tron Concept, we are giving a very concrete outlook on future production models of our new PPE technology platform,” says Audi Board Member for Development Oliver Hoffmann WLTP range of up to 700 kilometers.” The new battery technology should enable the SUV models to travel up to 600 kilometers before the next plug is needed.
Like the Avant models before it, the 4.96 meter station wagon scores with its extremely pleasing design and successful proportions. But since the A6 E-Tron, like the current top model of the Audi E-Tron GT, with a charging capacity of up to 270 kilowatts at the charging station, gains strength in no time and generates energy for the next 300 kilometers in ten minutes, it is a charge master in two senses . The variable interior with a folding rear seat is available on the PPE platform developed together with Porsche as before – just electrically. Apart from the rear-wheel drive, which is available for the first time, there are no particular surprises when it comes to the drive, so there is an adapted five-link axle at the front and a multi-link axle at the rear along with adjustable air suspension. The rear-wheel drive, which is new for Audi, is unlikely to play a major role in the market; most engine variants should have all-wheel drive. Weakly motorized basic versions are a thing of the past in this league and the 350 kW / 476 PS / 800 Nm of the A6 study are unlikely to be the end given the ever-increasing competition. While the basic models sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h in around seven seconds, the RS versions of the A6 as a Sportback and estate model called Avant do this in under four seconds.
Markus Duesmann: “The trend towards e-mobility is continuing. In January and February 2023, we delivered almost 40 percent more fully electric vehicles worldwide than in the same period last year. In February, we also started the market launch of the Q8 e-tron in most European countries. Almost 20,000 pre-orders confirm that the trend towards sustainable electric mobility is accelerating.”
