Deliveries of the fully electric Audi e-tron range during the first nine months of 2022 nearly doubled compared to the same period last year, with the share of these models correspondingly increasing in Audi’s entire lineup. The performance comes as a result of Audi’s well-defined electrification strategy, which will further accelerate in the coming years.
Demand for the Audi e-tron models has leaped 46 percent as a total of 76,989 fully electric Audi e-tron models were delivered to customers worldwide from January to September this year. During the comparable nine-month stretch in 2021, Audi sold an already impressive 52,774 e-tron models around the world.
Audi’s third-quarter global performance was equally strong, increasing 12 percent even amid a complicated environment for production.
Reflecting the brisk pace of the Audi e-tron’s uptake worldwide, is the demand for the fully electric model range in the Philippines. Launched locally in February this year, the Audi e-tron range has already become the bestselling models in Audi Philippines’ lineup. Customers who have taken deliveries expressed satisfaction not just over the Audi e-tron range’s mix of dynamic performance, luxurious features and sustainable elements, but also the fully electric models’ suitability for daily use, long driving range, and the convenience offered by home and destination charging solutions. Other key benefits cited by customers are their huge savings on high fuel prices, and the e-tron models’ exemption from the plate number-coding scheme.
Seen to further boost this popularity is the arrival of the 2023 Audi e-tron GT, which would charge up Audi Philippines’ leading position in the domestic electric vehicle segment. Reinterpreting the traditional Gran Turismo concept, the Audi e-tron GT features a revolutionary drivetrain composed of two powerful electric motors, each of which located on the front and rear axles to create an electric quattro all-wheel drive system. The motors produce 530 hp and 630 Nm, allowing the Audi e-tron GT to redefine supercar standards with a fully electric drive.
Charging the Audi e-tron GT is done via points dedicated to either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) chargers. The Audi e-tron GT’s 800-volt system — double the usual specification for electric vehicles — means the car’s lithium-ion battery can be charged quickly. When fully charged, the Audi e-tron GT’s driving range is as much as 500 kilometers (according to WLTP tests), making the car exceptionally suitable for daily use and road trips.
Supporting the adoption of the fully electric Audi e-tron range are the initiatives of Audi Philippines. Through the “FutureNow” program of PGA Cars, exclusive partner of Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley in the Philippines, the company spearheads the transition of the local market to full electric-powered mobility via significant investments. More than P300 million has already been spent for the construction of facilities specifically designed and equipped to address the unique requirements and safety standards of electric vehicles, as well as on equipment, tools and personnel development.
The move is in lockstep with Audi’s electrification strategy for the world market. The brand intends to be carbon-neutral by 2050 and so has intensified investments in products and future technologies in order to lead the auto industry in pursuing mobility that puts a premium on sustainability. By 2025, Audi plans to have more than 20 fully and 10 partially electric models account for 40% of its deliveries. All new Audi models to be introduced globally starting 2026 will be fully electric, and the brand will stop producing vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2033.
The current high demand for the Audi e-tron range already shows how attractive Audi’s fully electric portfolio has become.
MAIN PHOTO: Audi is one of only two global carmakers which have sold in significant numbers fully electric vehicles locally.
