There could be an entry-level model smaller than the Q4 e-tron planned.
The next EV could very well be the Q6 e-tron.
The plan is to offer an EV in each segment by 2027.
Audi is, as I’m sure you already know, involved in a race towards electric propulsion, with the Ingolstadt-based division already counting on two versions of its e-tron SUV (soon to be Q8 e-tron), two more versions of its Q4 e-tron, as well as two performance levels of its performance sedan, the e-tron GT.
At its annual conference, the brand’s CEO Markus Duesmann made a rather ambitious statement, by declaring that Audi was “about to launch the biggest product initiative in its long history”.
Already, we know that the next model expected on the Chinese market and possibly in North America is the Q6 e-tron, a crossover slightly larger than the Q4 e-tron. Let’s not forget that the Q4 is a non-identical twin of the Volkswagen ID.4.
But there’s more, as Duesmann, during the same speech, mentioned that, by the end of 2025, as many as 20 new pure electric models will be unveiled to the world. In fact, by 2027, Audi’s goal would be to offer an electric vehicle in every category of the industry.
Clearly, most of these new models will be utility vehicles, but the manufacturer should not be left out of the equation in the sedan, wagon or even sports car segment. The four rings’ heritage is too strong for its future to be limited to a few crossovers, even though Duesmann also indicated that there would be a new entry-level model tucked under the Q4 e-tron. According to the British publication Autocar, this future model, smaller than the Q4 e-tron, would take the form of an Audi A3 hatchback.
At the time of writing, no one knows if this smaller vehicle will be marketed in North America, but for now, we can always hope. Mind you, the possibility that this future “electric A3” could turn into an “electric Q3” is also a possibility.
And that’s not all, because we also learned from the CEO that the A4 and A6 sedans would be renamed A5 and A7 respectively, a strategy that would allow the German brand’s strategists to keep the odd numbers for “cars” and the even numbers for SUVs. So far, this logic has been respected with the Q4 e-tron, the Q8 e-tron (which will replace the current e-tron) and the mid-size Q6 e-tron. With that in mind, could we see a Q2 e-tron as an electric sub-compact SUV option here?
We’ll find out soon enough, by the end of 2025 at least, when the automaker completes its series of 20 unveilings.
As for the design of all these future electric models, the series of Activesphere, Urbansphere and Skysphere concepts already give a good idea of what’s to come, as does the superb A6 Avant e-tron concept presented last year.
