Dhe horsepower to kW, there was more than one step. That was believed to be difficult to cross by the German manufacturers totally acquired with the internal combustion engine, whether gasoline or diesel. But from an identity crisis (dieselgate) to another economic one and under very strong pressure from the Greens in Germany, the dikes are now yielding with a certain fatalism.
While only a few days ago German manufacturers seemed to be questioning the EU deadline and 2035 for the discontinuation of all new thermal models – those already existing will continue their careers – now Audi is ostensibly going into battery mode .
During the financial results conference where Audi announced that it had increased its turnover by 6.2% despite a slight drop in sales (0.7%), Markus Duesmann, the brand’s president, reiterated its confidence in an electric future. And to reinforce himself, he cites as an example the promising success of the first sales of the new Q4 e-tron which, on its own, won a quarter of the 82,000 sales of the 100% electric range.
Profitable, Audi is with an operating margin of 10.4% last year and was counting on even better in 2022 if it had not been for Ukraine. If he does as well with an estimate of between 1.8 and 1.9 million vehicles sold, he will be happy.
Sharing with Bentley and Lamborghini
As is more and more often the case during these arid results conferences, manufacturers hold a show and willingly reveal an upcoming concept. It hasn’t failed yet with this sports station wagon concept based on the Audi A6 e-tron, derived from its sedan counterpart presented at the Shanghai Motor Show.
The information is that it is releasing the new high-end electric platform which will be inaugurated by Porsche on the future Macan in 2023. We are therefore in advance of phase, but the contours of this model are very close to the final version.
The Premium Platform Electric (PPE) is based on an 800 V architecture which allows ultra-fast charging up to 270 kW, making it possible to recover 300 km of autonomy on a very high-speed terminal. The reference charge, from 5 to 80%, will take place in 25 minutes for a 100 kW battery. And above all, the commercial surface of Audi associated with Porsche will allow Lamborghini and Bentley to recover cheaply this base which will serve their own models.
