Audi will push back the rollout of its electric cars in response to waning interest from buyers due to their high prices compared with combustion-engined cars, suggest reports.
The German brand had already committed to launching 10 new EVs by 2026. The PPE-based Audi Q6 E-tron SUV will be the first to arrive, next spring, followed by another two in the same year.
But boss Gernot Döllner has confirmed that he wants to slow this output, so as not to fill forecourts and clog production lines with EVs that are less appealing than ICE alternatives.
"We first looked at what order and density of launches the organisation could handle," Döllner told Automotive News Europe. "In the end, we decided to spread it out to not overwhelm the team and the dealerships."
The decision backs the latest forecasts for EV take-up in the UK, reports The Telegraph. The governmental Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has suggested that just 38% of the car parc will be electric by 2027; in March, this forecast was 68%.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak’s decision in September to push back the ban on new ICE car sales from 2030 to 2035 has resulted in the take-up of EVs slowing, said the OBR.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recorded a 17% year-on-year drop in EV sales in November.
One of the technology’s biggest criticisms has been the pricing of cars, especially from premium brands such as Volkswagen Group-owned Audi.
Although possibly cheaper to fuel, they're initially more expensive than their ICE counterparts. For example, the Audi Q4 E-tron starts at £51,325, whereas the similar-size Audi Q3 starts at £34,325.
Despite all this, Döllner expects EVs ownership to take off soon. He told Bloomberg News; “The advantage of EVs is becoming visible to consumers step by step.”
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