Audi spreads its bets with ICE as lag in electric vehicle uptake continues

A replacement for the A5, powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines rather than batteries and electric motors, is a bold move from Audi after announced its plans just two years ago to be an electric-only car manufacturer by 2029.

The company is poised to launch a range of new petrol and diesel cars, all of which it can keep in the market until the Europe-wide combustion car ban comes into force in 2035.

To reflect this shift in strategy, Audi has restructured its model range into two ‘columns'. Now, Audi’s odd-numbered cars (such as the A5, Q5 and Q7) will feature combustion engines, while its even-numbered models (A6, Q6 etc) will have batteries and electric motors.

Audi had a change of heart because not all Audi’s customers are ready to make the switch to an electric vehicle.  Uptake in the leasing market and among private buyers is slower than had been anticipated.

Now Audi has adopted a two-platform strategy – one for each column. The brand’s zero-emission models will be built on its Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, as found under the new Q6 e-tron, while its future fossil fuel cars will be propped up by its new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture.