Q2, Q7 TDI and e-tron quattro, much anticipated 2018 BEV SUV and a BEV a year from that date forward. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – May 20, 2016 2017 Audi A4 Premium – $37,300 + D&H to start offers owners a 25/33 mpg city/highway. “Intelligence is the new Rock n’ Roll.” Despite legal and engineering problems challenges related to the diesel emissions mess, in 2016, Audi plans to once again increase the number of cars delivered, maintain its high level of profitability and continue investing large sums of its earnings back into itself going forward. At the 127th Annual Meeting – that is right, 127th - in Ingolstadt, the Board of Management of AUDI AG provided an overview of its FY 2015 earnings results. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG: Through the first four months of 2016, Audi sold a record 620,100 vehicles, up 4.9 percent over that sold through the same period of 2015. The Audi Group will publish its entire financial statements for the 1Q and year on June 1. Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization: Audi will strengthen its team with Germany employment scheduled to ride by some 1,200 experts in strategic areas for the future. This year, more than 20 new or upgraded Audi models will be launched, including the Audi Q2 in Europe and Asia. With this compact City‑SUV, Audi plans to gain new customers. It will have its own SIM card including an unlimited data plan with a standard Internet connection. Mobile devices will be able to go online via a Wi‑Fi hotspot. The new SUV will offer a wide range of connected services as well as numerous driver‑assistance systems from higher‑range models. At the top end of the range, Audi is expanding its successful Q family with the sporty SQ7 TDI and the Q7 e-tron quattro, the brand’s second PHEV following the A3 e-tron. The Q7 e-tron should have an AER of between 20 and 25-miles in purely electric mode. I converted from an unrealistic 35 miles on the NEDC. In addition to the updated SUVs, the company is also promoting its next generation A4. Since mid‑March, customers have been able to order the Audi A4 allroad Quattro with an S4 and Avant model coming by the middle of 2017. The new A4 is gradually being launched in markets outside Europe and North America. It will be made available in China in the second half of the year. Audi is expanding its global production network in 2016 and will put its plant in Mexico into operation. Producing on the American continent means that growth potential there can be utilized even better. Local production content of approximately two thirds by the start of production will also reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on Audi’s financial performance. The first Audi Q5 cars will drive off the assembly lines in San José Chiapa in the second half of this year. Audi is currently preparing for production of its first fully electric BEV. It will be launched in 2018 as a large SUV with an all-electric range of more than 300 miles will be produced in Brussels. The plant there will also have its own battery production. Starting in 2018, Audi will launch another electrified car each year! Audi is working on digitization throughout the company. From its intelligent factory program to the connected car and autonomous driving solutions, and development of new areas of the automotive business, it is moving forward as fast as reasonably achievable. An important role will be played here by the digital map service which Audi acquired in 2015 together with BMW and Daimler. Highly precise maps linked with real‑time data will be the basis for example for many future digital services, and for piloted driving using swarm intelligence. In 2017, Audi will present the new A8 – the brand’s first series‑produced car capable of semi-autonomous driving. With the traffic‑jam pilot, it will be able to drive itself temporarily on the autobahn at speeds up to 37 mph. At that point, Audi will have crossed the threshold from partial to highly automated driving. Stadler also stated that by 2025, we will see fully automated driving.
