The new executive director of Audi, Markus Duesmann, wants for the four rings’ signature to once again be a technological benchmark within the automotive industry. It will bet on a general cost reduction to increase investments in electric mobility, strengthen the collaboration with Porsche, and bet on the new Artemis division for the development of advanced technologies.
The measures aimed at improving the company’s electric range taken by Duesmann’s predecessor, Bram Schot, will become even more stringent to streamline business operations and maximize savings. Audi aims to invest 12 billion euros by 2024 to develop its electric range, so the cuts will fully affect its internal combustion vehicles.
To reduce costs, several experts under Duesmann have begun to analyze the feasibility of specific company models, including the TT and R8. According to sources close to Audi’s head, discontinuing these iconic sports cars has finally been discarded, betting on their survival as 100% electric cars.
Although there is still no detailed data about these renovations, the new TT could use the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform to save costs (considering that the current generation uses the MQB platform of the Volkswagen Golf, it seems evident that an electric TT should take the Volkswagen ID. 3).
As for the R8, the doubts are bigger, as Porsche recently canceled the development of the SPE platform for electric sports cars. However, the current generation of the supercar had an electric version e-Tron in 2015 (it only lasted a year in the catalog, selling just 100 units), so an update of that model with current electrical technology could be an exciting solution.