Audi could also be near deciding on whether or not to place into manufacturing a rugged electrical SUV to go up in opposition to comparable fashions within the luxurious phase like upcoming electrical variations of the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The knowledge was reported on Thursday by Autocar following an interview with Marc Lichte, Audi’s design chief.
Lichte reportedly mentioned there was area for such a car from Audi since there have been solely two actual alternate options within the premium phase, i.e. the fashions talked about above. He additionally reportedly mentioned Audi wants such a car given its profitable historical past in off-road racing—one thing that continues even within the electrical period with the RS Q E-Tron off-roaders entered within the Dakar Rally lately. The RS Q E-Tron program serves as a testbed for growth of electrical all-wheel-drive methods, referred to by Audi as Quattro 2.0.
Apparently, Audi on Thursday revealed the Activespherr idea, a coupe-like crossover with a tall trip top and a rear mattress full with a dropping tailgate.
Audi Activesphere idea
Autocar posits that any rugged Audi SUV would trip on an electrical body-on-frame platform being developed by fellow Volkswagen Group model Volkswagen for its upcoming Scout SUV and pickup truck. The Scouts are due in 2026 and will likely be constructed within the U.S., and it is seemingly any Audi SUV sharing a platform with the Scouts would additionally share a plant.
There’s hypothesis VW is seeking to outsource manufacturing of the Scouts to a contract producer like Foxconn or Magna. Magna’s Magna Steyr subsidiary in Austria is the corporate that builds the G-Class for Mercedes and likewise helped developed the car.
A senior Magna govt in September mentioned the corporate is trying to find a location to construct an EV plant within the U.S.
In response to Autocar, the brand new Audi might be launched round 2027 if its growth is given the inexperienced mild. Keep tuned.