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Audi luxury model S8: New role for the brand in the VW Group
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Sebastian Barros / imago images/NurPhoto
Audi wants to earn more money with luxury cars in the future and phase out smaller models.
CEO Markus Duesmann told the "Handelsblatt" (Monday): "Specifically, we have decided not to build the A1 anymore, and there will be no successor model from the Q2 either."
The group has redefined the role of the individual brands.
»We have also realigned Audi as a premium brand.
We will limit our range of models at the bottom and expand them at the top,” said Duesmann.
The compact SUV Q2, which was only introduced in 2016, will be phased out without a successor because it no longer fits into the planning of the portfolio and the development capacities: "It's a great car.
But the successor would have to be electric«.
You prioritize other segments.
As a flagship, Audi is developing an all-electric luxury sedan called "Landjet" - with a spacious interior, new wiring system and new software.
"We're on schedule and will be putting the 2025 model on the road," said the Audi boss.
»After that, however, there will certainly be other models on the platform, including variants from Bentley and Porsche.«
Because of the ongoing semiconductor bottlenecks, the VW Group, like other car manufacturers, tends to build the available chips into the more profitable models whenever possible.
»In the Group we try to secure the overall result.
That's why we prioritize models with higher profit sharing," said Duesmann.
Larger models are also popular, and many people wanted to treat themselves to something during the pandemic.
»In addition, there is a trend towards more equipment.
That's why sales are rising faster than sales.« He expects an improvement in the supply of semiconductors over the course of the year.
Due to the lack of chips, among other things, VW has had an unusually bad year in China, the most important foreign market.
Sales of the Volkswagen Group in the country collapsed massively.
The premium brand Audi was significantly less affected with a minus of 3.6 percent.
Globally, the VW Group delivered 4.5 percent fewer cars last year due to delivery bottlenecks.
In addition, ten thousand employees at the Audi sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm had to extend their holidays in the summer due to missing chips.
From 2028 onwards, only electric cars will be built in Ingolstadt.
sol/dpa
