{"id":101361,"date":"2015-11-20T13:10:35","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T18:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=101361"},"modified":"2015-11-20T13:10:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-20T18:10:35","slug":"battery-cars-could-soon-generate-25-of-audi-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/11\/battery-cars-could-soon-generate-25-of-audi-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Battery Cars Could Soon Generate 25% of Audi Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Audi e-tron Quattro SUV Concept will be followed by a production model around 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For now, it\u2019s just a show car, drawing curious gawkers to the maker\u2019s stand at the L.A. Auto Show, but in less than three years, Audi intends to have a production version of the e-tron Quattro Concept in showrooms around the world.<\/p>\n

And with a range of more than 300 miles, the German maker is betting the electric SUV will charge up consumers, becoming a mainstream rather than niche product. The added range is just one of the positive factors, however. Audi is expecting a sharp decrease in the cost of batteries by the time the production SUV comes to market in 2018.<\/p>\n

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Auto Show News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And, with a slew of additional e-tron models, both plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, in the works, Audi planners predict the technology could soon account for as much as a quarter of their U.S. sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to this,\u201d said Siegfried Pint, Audi AG\u2019s director electric powertrains. \u201cAs we go further, each and every day, we see there\u2019s a reality to this.<\/p>\n

Most major automakers have begun working up electrification strategies. General Motors, for example, just launched a second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in and is developing the 200-mile Chevy Bolt battery-electric model. Mercedes-Benz plans to have 10 plug-ins by 2018. Volvo plans to offer battery options for all models, but its goal of reaching 10% of its sales with electrified products in 2020 falls well short of where Audi sees itself going.<\/p>\n

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The Audi e-tron Quattro concept is just the beginning of the brand's plans to expand its EV offerings across its portfolio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Only Toyota has outlined a more ambitious plan, but it is largely focusing on conventional hybrids and hydrogen-electric vehicles, rather than those using large battery packs.<\/p>\n

Audi\u2019s strategy has generated some skepticism, critics questioning whether its ambitious goal might be intended to offset the negative publicity surrounding its ongoing diesel emissions scandal. But Filip Brabec, director of product planning for Audi of America, said during an interview at the L.A. Auto Show, the maker couldn\u2019t work that fast. And, in fact, the e-tron Quattro Concept was first shown two months earlier at the Frankfurt Motor Show.<\/p>\n

(VW, Audi officials apologize,\u00a0try to look\u00a0beyond diesel scandal at L.A. Auto Show. For more, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Virtually every automaker now offers at least one vehicle using a lithium-ion battery pack. But many of those products have been derided as \u201ccompliance vehicles,\u201d designed to meet the minimum demands of regulators in California who have set out a tough zero-emissions vehicle, or ZEV, mandate. Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat Chrysler, went as far as urging potential customers not to buy the electrified Fiat 500 because the carmaker would \u201close money on every one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brabec stressed that Audi is not planning to build compliance cars. Its focus is \u201cwith the intention of (them) being mainstream products.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the maker sees several critical steps to make the transition from niche vehicles with limited appeal:<\/p>\n