Whatever you can do, we can also do, seems to be the Audi mantra these days. The premium German automaker has had a slew of successful models released in recent years, but it appears pressure to keep up with BMW’s product planning and future range may have hit a snag. BMW debuted the i3 concept, a small premium electric runabout it plans to put in to production. Audi countered with the Audi A2 city car, but according to a report in Car Magazine, Audi’s product planners now have serious reservations.
The worry is that the small electric car will be priced too high, which will stifle demand and ultimately cause Audi to struggle to turn a profit on the model. It’s expected that the A2 would easily have a selling price higher than $50,000, and with relatively little content, wouldn’t offer the appeal of traditionally powered cars. Car reports that the Audi A1 e-Tron may be put on hold for similar reasons. With success such as the 2012 Audi A7, and sales of Audi’s A6 and Q5 soaring here in the U.S., it may be wise to go with what’s working. Audi had recently announced it would expand its crossover lineup to better compete with an increase in BMW’s crossover offerings over the next several years.
Source: Car Magazine
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