Audi's planning for one new EV every year starting 2018
A new A8 is also due out next year, and it will feature semi-autonomous driving and automated parking.
As I wrote earlier today, you can always rely on some interesting tidbits when automakers kick off shareholder meetings. Not only did BMW drop a neat little morsel of information, but Audi's getting in on the action, as well, promising a whole slew of neat, new metal in the coming years.
The most important takeaway from Audi's Annual General Meeting (leave it to the Germans to make it sound as boring as possible) is that the company plans to produce one new electric vehicle each year, starting in 2018.
They won't be limited to unique badges, either. "[Not] only in market niches, but also in high-volume segments, in our successful Q family for example," said CEO Dr. Rupert Stadler as part of his prepared remarks. He also called for a global fast-charging network.
The first EV to come from this will likely be the "fully electric SUV" that Stadler says will arrive in 2018. He commented that the plant in charge of assembling this new vehicle will also be the location where its batteries are constructed.
Along with new electric vehicles, a new flagship is coming in the near future. Stadler said the next generation of Audi's A8 flagship is due to arrive in 2017, and it will pack semi-autonomous driving systems that function up to 37 miles per hour, as well as autonomous parking.
"I am convinced that we will see fully automated driving by 2025," Stadler said in his prepared speech. "Our customers will profit from that in the long term. The Audi of tomorrow will be a workplace, a place of relaxation and a place of enjoyment."
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