Audi A4 EV Delayed Amid VW Group Financial Troubles: Report

Audi’s rival to the new BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class was initially supposed to go into production in 2028.

2020 Audi A4 facelift sketch

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Nov 13, at 10:05am ET

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Audi has reportedly pushed back the debut of the first all-electric A4 sedan.
The four-door EV will be based on the Volkswagen Group’s delayed Scalable Systems Platform.
An inside source claims that software issues and significant hardware changes are setting back the launch of the A4 EV by one year.

Audi has delayed the introduction of the electric A4 sedan by roughly one year, according to Autocar, which quotes an inside source at the German automaker. The electric A4, which was supposed to go into production at the company’s main plant in Ingolstadt in 2028, will go head-to-head with the BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class EVs, which are already available in Europe.

The delay is reportedly tied to the Volkswagen Group’s worsening financial situation, software woes linked to the long-delayed Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), and Audi’s desire to make significant changes to the underbody of what should have been a common design across SSP-based electric sedans.

The current-generation Audi A5, which replaced the A4, is available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Photo by: Audi

Autocar’s source said that the premium German automaker requested bespoke footwells for both front and rear passengers instead of the completely flat floor that many purpose-built EVs use today. The reason behind this big demand reportedly has to do with the brand’s desire to deliver the packaging, seating position, and interior proportions that have traditionally been offered by the A4.

What’s more, the BMW i3 rival will supposedly use a 48-volt electrical system for its accessories instead of the traditional 12V setup that had been planned originally. Just like in the Tesla Cybertruck, adopting a higher-voltage system enables the automaker to use thinner-gauge wire and install higher-powered computers.

However, the changes come at a tough time for Audi’s parent company, VW Group, which is ditching grandiose plans and doing everything it can to limit the cash bleeding. The upcoming Volkswagen ID. Golf, which is also based on the SSP architecture, has been delayed, leaving the marque with its current lineup of electric models until the end of the decade.

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For what it’s worth, the VW Group’s new lineup of affordable EVs is doing very well in Europe, but the money problem persists. The company can’t make them fast enough to keep up with demand, but building gas cars is still more profitable. This conundrum has put the German auto industry giant in a tough spot, where it’s trying to keep factories alive, but the importance of the vehicles that are currently being assembled there is slowly fading.

The first SSP-based cars were originally planned for 2026, but so far, not a single production model has been assembled.