Audi recently held its annual media conference where, among a litany of financial information about the company, some clues to its future were revealed. It’s no secret that Audi is taking big strides in the EV realm, but CEO Markus Duesmann hammered that point home by stating the German brand was “on the verge of the biggest product initiative” in its long history.
That’s a bold statement, but Duesmann backed it up by saying Audi “will have launched around 20 new models” by 2025. A quick glance at our calendar reminds us that 2025 is less than two years from now, so yeah, that’s quite a pace. Beyond that, Duesmann also stated over half would be EVs.
It’s not clear if new models includes mid-cycle refreshes, but this schedule puts the automaker on track to have an EV in every one of its vehicle segments by 2027. The ultimate plan sees Audi becoming an all-electric manufacturer early in the next decade.
As part of that plan, Duesmann used the media conference to tease one of these new models – an entry-level EV slotting below the Q4 E-Tron. Details weren’t mentioned, but Autocar reports it will be an A-segment hatchback similar to the A3. An exact timeframe for this launch isn’t known, but logic says it will happen in the next year and a half as part of Audi’s blitz of 20 new models.
Audi was early among legacy automakers to enter the EV world with its E-Tron SUV in 2019. We’ve seen a steady stream of hybrid and fully electric models since then, not to mention the collection of sphere concept vehicles starting with the striking Skysphere concept roadster in 2021. It was followed by the Grandsphere concept sedan a few months later, and we’ve since learned the next-generation A8 flagship will borrow heavily from its design.
The final two sphere concepts – the Urbansphere and Activesphere – showcased more practical EVs in the form of a minivan and coupe crossover. While none are said to be production vehicles, Audi has stated the sphere concepts preview the company’s future design language.
