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Audi has unveiled its delayed Q6 e-tron, seeking to restore momentum to the struggling brand with a luxury mid-size SUV as sales of electric vehicles are cooling.<\/p>\n
The \u20ac74,700 ($81,315) vehicle, built on the same underpinnings as Porsche AG\u2019s\u00a0electric Macan<\/a>, features fast-charging technology that returns the battery to 80% full in just over 20 minutes. The car will be the first fully electric model made at Audi\u2019s headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, after software setbacks delayed its rollout by about two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge responsibility for us to have the ramp up and production of this car,\u201d factory head Siegried Schmidtner told reporters Monday. The plant also has its own battery assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parent Volkswagen AG\u2019s cash cow is preparing to\u00a0rejuvenate<\/a>\u00a0its offering with a record lineup of new models after the brand started to trail rivals and fall behind in China, its biggest market. Audi last year replaced its chief executive officer and sought\u00a0deeper ties<\/a>\u00a0with Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp Ltd. on EV projects to help its turnaround.\u00a0<\/p>\n With deliveries starting during the third quarter, the Q6 e-tron faces a broad bench of competitors, including Mercedes-Benz\u2019s EQE, BMW\u2019s iX and Tesla\u2019s Model Y.<\/p>\n EV\u00a0growth is slowing\u00a0<\/a>in several key European markets, where buying incentives have run out. Audi\u2019s new CEO Gernot D\u00f6llner in December flagged the manufacturer is paring back its ambitious new model plans because of the slowdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Q6 e-tron will play a key roll in helping Audi meet the EU\u2019s more stringent fleet emissions targets in 2025, D\u00f6llner said. But with flagging consumer interest in EVs, the Audi CEO said he welcomed the auto industry\u2019s ability to reevaluate its electrification strategy with Brussels in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are adamant about sticking to our electrification strategy, but let\u2019s wait and see,\u201d D\u00f6llner told Bloomberg on the sidelines of Monday\u2019s event inside the Ingolstadt factory.<\/p>\n Like its sister brand Volkswagen, Audi is chasing efficiency measures to bolster its profits and margins. Production and logistics chief Gerd Walker said the brand aims to reduce factory costs by 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels by 2033, with early retirement offers helping to trim labor costs and synergies between other Volkswagen AG brands playing a key role.<\/p>\n Audi is planning to introduce 20 models by 2026, half of them fully electric.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n