Audi decided to continue producing cars with internal combustion engines due to problems with demand for electric cars

At the same time, the German company still plans to release twenty new models by 2026, half of which will be “green.”< /p>

The manufacturer Audi, part of the German concern Volkswagen, is now reviewing its strategy for the coming years. This was hinted at by the current CEO of the brand, Gernot Döllner, who took this chair quite recently, at the beginning of last fall. The decision is related to fluctuations in demand for electric vehicles, which the VW brand has already directly experienced.

As reported by Bloomberg, the head of Audi has so far described the change in strategy in a “streamlined” manner: according to him, the company “will not strive for maximum production of electric vehicles” in the near future. According to Gernot Döllner, the brand intends to continue the production and promotion of cars with internal combustion engines, as well as with plug-in hybrid units.

Of course, the company is not abandoning plans to develop and produce fully electric models . The point is to slow down the process of total “greening” of the model range. According to the previously announced strategy, Audi is going to release twenty new models by 2026, and half of them will be electric vehicles.

It is known that the manufacturer is not abandoning its plans, however, according to the head of Audi, the order of release of the announced new products still remains “flexible”, which means that the production of electric cars can be shifted to a later date. Gernot Döllner added that the release of models with internal combustion engines and PHEV units in the short term will be beneficial for both the automaker and consumers.

Audi will still have to produce electric cars in the near future if the brand intends to keep up with its competitors from the “German Big Three” – Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Now the manufacturer is late, as it is waiting for the completion of the development of the PPE platform (it was delayed due to problems with the software of the Volkswagen concern). Because of this, in particular, the release of the Audi Q6 e-tron was postponed: it was assumed that this model would mark the beginning of the mass production of the brand's electric vehicles.

In the photo: Audi Q6 e-tron

The Audi Q6 e-tron has not yet been officially presented; the manufacturer had previously published pictures of only a camouflaged prototype that was undergoing a series of road tests. In the spring of this year, designer Kolesa.ru offered his own version of the appearance of the future crossover. It is expected that the serial new product will receive “two-story” head optics, traditional door handles, horizontal stampings above the wheel arches, as well as branded lights stretching across the entire width of the stern. According to preliminary data, this “green” SUV will receive a twin-engine power plant, the total output of which is 476 hp and the maximum torque is 800 Nm.

Audi previously announced that that after 2026 they will develop exclusively new electric vehicles. At the same time, according to the plan, the production of cars with internal combustion engines was planned to be completed in 2033. Obviously, problems with customer demand for “green” models may affect the future strategy.