Audi to build EVs within a decade

Audi, the luxury car unit of the Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG), has announced plans to make electric cars within the next 10 years.

In a recent interview, Chairman Rupert Stadler said that he saw great opportunities for electric cars, and expects diesel and battery technology to dominate in the next five to ten years, saying, “By then we will offer cars without exhaust emissions.”

When challenged with the idea that Audi was lagging behind rival German car giants Mercedes and BMW in the development of li-ion battery technology, Stadler stated that Audi's research capacities were larger than those of domestic rivals. Without elaborating, he also said, “electric cars offer great opportunities, which we have already seized on.”

This mention of a superior research budget may indicate that Audi intends to throw money at developing a more lightweight, longer range battery than is currently available. Perhaps the most likely showcase for an all-electric vehicle might be a variant of the Audi A1 Metroproject Quattro concept showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show last October. This gas-electric hybrid boasted acceleration of 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph.

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of Audi’s strategy. Perhaps it's planning some big alternative power-train project that it's reluctant to talk about, or else the announcement was calculated to be deliberately vague in an effort to confuse competitors or dupe the press (us) into talking about them without actually committing to anything.

Either way, 10 years is a long time in the auto industry, and it’s possible that the relentless rise in oil prices may force Audi to show its hand sooner than that.

Via Reuters