Electric car sales are still experiencing growth, but the rapid adoption pace has slowed in recent months. This shift might actually benefit Audi, as the Q4 and Q6 e-tron SUVs finally launch in Australia. Unlike BMW and Mercedes, Audi took a more measured approach to electric vehicles early on. Rather than immediately replacing its core models with electric versions, Audi added low-volume, high-end electric flagships like the e-tron GT and the Q8 e-tron.
In Australia, the delayed arrival of the Q4 e-tron has coincided with the government’s new vehicle efficiency standards (NVES). This timing provides leverage for Audi to expand its hybrid offerings alongside its new electric models. At the Q6 e-tron launch, Audi Australia’s managing director, Jeff Mannering, discussed how the market dynamics have shifted.
“It’s an overall strategy we’ve got now” he said of the brand’s new MHEV+ hybrid tech arriving at the same time as the Q6, “because what we have to think about is whether it’s just going to be battery electrics going forward.”
“The market has switched around a little bit, I think the spike in battery electric sales where everyone was saying it was going to be fifty per cent of the market […] that’s simply not the case anymore.”
“Q4 and Q6 are important because it adds volume to our battery electrics – we need that, and we need plug-in hybrids as well because the C02 targets are now there.”
“You’re not so reliant on a BEV if you have a PHEV. It’s our clear direction to have something for every customer in every segment.”
Other brands have taken different paths. BMW has been successful with competitively priced electric cars, though its plug-in hybrids haven’t performed as well. BMW led the German trio in the past year with 25,341 units sold, almost 30 percent of which were electric. Mercedes-Benz removed its plug-in hybrids from its Australian range after slow sales (though they will return), while its electric offerings have also been slow to gain traction. Mercedes saw a decrease of 17.8 percent in sales for the year.
Audi remained in third place, with 15,333 units sold. Although it experienced a 19.5 percent sales decrease compared to the previous year, the brand is hopeful that its refreshed lineup will lead to improved sales in 2025. Along with the arrival of the Q4 and Q6, the Q5 and A5 will debut in the third quarter, featuring the all-new PPC combustion platform and MHEV+ technology. Other models, including the A1, A3, Q2, Q7, and Q8, will also receive updates before the year’s end.
As Mannering pointed out, these model updates will give Audi a chance to boost sales in the coming year.
“If you look at the lifecycle of our cars, some are up to their eighth or ninth year now – We’ll have the newest line-up in the market this year and it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that.”
Will this refreshed lineup allow Audi to surpass Mercedes-Benz or even challenge BMW in 2025? Only time will tell.
