Audi Australia has made some progress in securing the Q4 e-tron EV, with a local launch likely as early as 2024.
That is a good news. The bad news is that the electric small SUV will have about three years left by the time it arrives, was revealed in April 2021.
That puts Audi at a disadvantage because it lacks a competitor to the increasingly popular lineup Tesla Model Y, BMW iX1, Rechargeable Volvo XC40, Lexus UX300eand Mercedes-Benz EQA.
Audi will also be beaten to the market by relevance (based on the MEB platform) Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5and Cupra was born. The Skoda Enyaq will likely arrive at a similar time, in early 2024.
The belated arrival of the Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback will give the brand four rounds an entry-level EV under $150,000 plus e-tron mid-size SUV – what it admits is that buyers are increasingly asking for more.
“It [Q4 launch] won’t be next year. Production could start next year – not will, maybe – but the car will not be introduced. I’d love to be here in early 2024, that’s what we’re pushing,” said new Audi Australia CEO Jeff Mannering.
“We depend on the capacity of the factory to be able to make the car for us… there is a lot of discussion, we are fighting hard for the market.”
The European factory was destroyed due to chip shortages as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting Audi to briefly halt production of various models. Demand across the continent is also high, and supplies are being prioritized closer to home.
Mr Mannering said the company was focusing more holistically on closing the time gap between the car’s launch in Europe and eventually the vehicle’s arrival in Australia.
He added that the Albanese government promotes a national EV strategy with a fuel economy standard that might help these negotiations, echoing comments from his predecessor as Paul Sansom.
Mr. Sansom, now head of the broader Volkswagen Group Australia, announced in March of this year that he is confident that the combined brands will eventually become the leading source of electric vehicles in the country.
“We are by some distance Australia’s main European passenger vehicle importer and will become the most important source of electric vehicles in the country,” Mr Sansom told the Green Building Council of Australia. .
You want to know more? Our recent reading Review Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback 2022 from Angus MacKenzie.
