In 2021, Audi promised a complete electric shift with an important marker: the automaker would debut its last new gas-engine model in 2026.
Last week, company CEO Gernot Döllner said the company is reassessing this objective. He was speaking at the company's annual general meeting, where he also announced that Audi would be cutting 7,500 jobs by 2029, mainly in Germany.
“We will manage the production of our last combustion engine vehicles depending on the various developments in the world markets,” he said.
As mentioned, the initial plan was to see the last new gas-engine model introduced in 2026, and then retired around 2033 in most markets.
Audi is certainly not alone in adjusting its timelines and targets in response to changes in demand and market trends. Like other carmakers, the company saw sales of its electric models decline last year. It even closed its Brussels, Belgium plant, which produced the Q8 e-tron electric SUV, due to low sales.
More generally, sales declined across the entire Audi range last year. The brand recorded sales of 1,671,218 units worldwide, 11.8-percent fewer than in 2023. Its operating profits dropped by 38 percent.
Still, Audi is seeing things positively. It plans to introduce 20 brand-new or redesigned models over the next two years, among them a new edition of the A6 sedan (which we just went to see in Portugal; details coming in mid-April), as well as the Q3 SUV and a plug-in hybrid variant of the A5.
The company is also studying the possibility of producing models in North America, another predictable decision given the U.S. administration threats to imposes import tariffs. Currently, Audi does not manufacture any vehicles in the U.S. or Canada; it does assemble the Q5 in Mexico.