Audi launches Premium Platform Electric as it moves toward an entirely electric future
Audi’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) will support Audi to release 10 new EVs in two years as they move towards phasing out internal-combustion engines in 2027.
Audi is set to undergo its biggest new model transformation in history, rolling out 10 new electric cars in the next two years alone.
The model onslaught will begin later this year with the launch of the new Q6 e tron SUV, which will also be the first Audi built on the new platform called Premium Platform Electric (PPE).
This new vehicle architecture has been developed by Audi for use across the Volkswagen Group and will reportedly feature a driving range of more than 480km, an 800-volt electrical system and 350kW fast-charging capability (meaning it can add 300km of range in just 10 minutes).
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It’s part of a wider plan to launch 20 new models in the same time period, but come 2027 the German brand will stop launching new cars with petrol or diesel engines as it moves to an entirely electric future by 2033.
Audi will phase out its internal-combustion engines in 2027 as the popularity of EVs continues to grow around the world.
“Sales of all-electric models increased by 44 per cent, year on year,” Audi chief executive Markus Duesmann says.
“The high demand for our Audi Q4 e tron, Audi e tron GT and Audi e tron models confirms that we are on the right track toward e-mobility.”
The PPE underpinnings are also highly flexible, so it will allow Audi to build a wide range of models for this new electric era.
This will cover everything from a new VW Golf-sized entry-level model, which will likely replace the A3 hatch and sedan, to large SUVs and sedans.
“We are on the verge of the biggest product initiative in our history,” Duesmann says.
“By 2025, we will have launched around 20 new models, more than 10 of which will be all-electric. We have set the course to go 100 per cent electric.
“By 2027, we seek to offer an all-electric vehicle in each core segment. We recently decided to launch an additional electric entry-level model below the Audi Q4 e tron as well.”
Other models that will use this new PPE architecture include the expected A6 e tron sedan and wagon (which are tipped for a 2024 arrival).
But that’s not the only option Audi will have in the future for its electric cars, with Volkswagen Group also set to launch its Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) – an all-new, state-of-the-art vehicle platform that will integrate a raft of new technologies around batteries, electric motors, drive systems and autonomous driving.
Volkswagen is reportedly developing the SSP application for small cars and sedans, while Audi has been charged with readying a version for SUVs.
The first models based on the SSP are due to arrive in 2026, but it’s not clear at this stage which Audi will be the first to take advantage of this new platform.
Audi has been previewing this transition through its series of Sphere concepts, which have included the “activesphere”, “urbansphere”, “grandsphere” and “skysphere” – each demonstrating a new element of Audi’s electric future in terms of design and capability.
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