Audi boss Markus Duesmann has only been in office for a good year. Now he is said to have presented plans for the future of the automaker – and they are radically electric.
Radical model planning at Audi: According to several press reports, the car manufacturer has set a date for the last launch of new combustion models. Company boss Markus Duesmann announced to works councils and top managers on Thursday that from 2026 onwards, no new petrol and diesel models would be presented and no hybrid versions either, reported the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (“SZ”) on Friday. The company did not officially comment on the information, but did not deny it either.
Audi boss has apparently forged plans for e-mobility since he took office
According to its own information, the news magazine “Der Spiegel” received confirmation from corporate circles for this plan. Duesmann is said to have forged his plan since he took over as Audi boss in April 2020 and has so far only inaugurated a few top managers. Herbert Diess, the head of the parent company Volkswagen, had been in on the plans and approved them, the report continued. The reasons given are the social mood against diesel and gasoline cars and the strict Co2 regulations in the European Union.
In addition, the manufacturer wants to polish up its reputation. The image of Volkswagen and Audi had suffered badly in recent years due to the diesel emissions scandal involving manipulated pollutant values. Now e-mobility is apparently to be promoted more strongly in the group. In China, an important market for Audi, too, the company wants to get out of combustion technology, but is planning to use it there for longer than in Europe, according to research by the “SZ”.
Audi would have to completely convert its production
The plan is considered radical, since with this project Audi would be the first vehicle manufacturer in Germany to plan a complete exit from the internal combustion engine segment. Such a change is also considered to be an act of strength for the company, which would have to set up new production processes. Audi is investing half a billion euros to cushion the loss of job profiles in the group, according to the report.
The last premiere of a combustion car will be a Q model, i.e. an urban off-road vehicle that will be sold until around 2033, the newspaper continued. According to this, the car manufacturer wants to sell battery vehicles exclusively worldwide. The well-known A3 and A4 models were no longer to have direct successors, but were to be completely redesigned and renamed. Even the R8 racing car will be completely electric.
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