Audi A1 News

Electric car sales are still growing, but as the ‘early adopter’ phase comes to an end, the rate of uptake has slowed the past few months.Some brands have bet heavily on electric vehicles early in their explosive sales climb, this latest slow-down in pace might have actually handed Audi an advantage as its Q4 and Q6 e-tron SUVs finally arrive in Australia.Audi bet less heavily on EVs than its most direct rivals, BMW and Mercedes in the past few years. Rather than try to replace some of its most hallowed nameplates with electric versions, Audi instead added low-volume electric flagship offerings to its range in the form of the e-tron GT and now the Q8 e-tron.In Australia, the delayed launch of the Q4 e-tron has coincided with the arrival of the government’s new vehicle efficiency standards (NVES), giving it the leverage it needs with its international head office to expand its range of hybrid offerings to live alongside its new electrics.Speaking to CarsGuide at the launch of the Q6 e-tron, Audi Australia’s managing director Jeff Mannering explained how the game has changed in Audi’s favour.“It’s an overall strategy we’ve got now” he said of the brand’s new MHEV+ hybrid tech arriving at the same time as the Q6, “because what we have to think about is whether it’s just going to be battery electrics going forward.”“The market has switched around a little bit, I think the spike in battery electric sales where everyone was saying it was going to be fifty per cent of the market that’s simply not the case anymore.”“Q4 and Q6 are important because it adds volume to our battery electrics - we need that, and we need plug-in hybrids as well because the C02 targets are now there.”“You’re not so reliant on a BEV if you have a PHEV. It’s our clear direction to have something for every customer in every segment.”Not every brand has managed to navigate the tightrope of emerging technologies quite the same way. BMW has led the way with its competitively priced and well-received electric cars, although its plug-in hybrids have struggled. BMW leads the German three, amassing a whopping 25,341 units last year, nearly 30 per cent of which were electric. Over at Mercedes, plug-in hybrids were pulled from its range altogether after years of slow sales in Australia (although they will return), while its electric offerings have been shunned. It was down a notable 17.8 per cent last year, with its car division falling to 19,989 units.Audi remained in third position, moving 15,333 units. It was down a sizeable 19.5 per cent compared to 2023, which the brand is hoping its nearly entirely refreshed range will reverse in 2025.Not only has the Q4 and Q6 arrived, but they will be joined in the third quarter by the Q5 and A5, debuting the entirely new PPC combustion platform and MHEV+ technology. Other less significantly upgraded nameplates include the A1, A3, Q2, Q7, and Q8, all due before year’s end.As Mannering said, replacements or updates to some of the brand’s longest running models will give it a shot at more impressive sales volumes in 2025.“If you look at the lifecycle of our cars, some are up to their eighth or ninth year now - We’ll have the newest line-up in the market this year and it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that.”Will this range let it beat out Mercedes or even challenge BMW in 2025? Check in later this year to find out.

The least-expensive Audi in Australia will gain a series of upgrades in the coming weeks, to make it a more appealing value-for-money proposition in the face of stiffer competition and shrinking market share.Likely to be called the A1 Sportback ‘Life Cycle Edition’, the changes are set to add an S-Line-style body kit, similar to the Black Edition sold in the UK, delivering a more athletic look.The move might also bring sports seats, blacked-out exterior and interior trim, extra equipment, unique wheels and even a firmer suspension tune for improved dynamic responses.Better still, pricing is expected to remain around the same as today’s (solely petrol-powered four-cylinder) versions, which kick off from less than $40,000 before on-road costs for the 35 TFSI with a 1.5-litre turbo and about $51,000 for the 40 TFSI with a 2.0-litre turbo.Costs and timing have yet to be announced, but Audi Australia Product Manager, Matt Dale, said the MY25 updates prove there is still life in the ageing premium supermini.“We do have a Life Cycle Edition there, which the (Audi product development) team has done a fantastic job on, and which is to come out shortly,” he told CarsGuide.“That is a new and exciting product for us, because visually, we're changing the look and feel of that car to a sportier appearance.”Now in its seventh year of availability, the second-generation A1 since 2010 is nearing the end of its production run, with no direct successor for it nor the closely-related Q2 light SUV in sight.Instead, it has been widely speculated Audi will eventually replace both from about next year or in 2027 with an electrified compact crossover that will sit beneath the Q3 in the Ingolstadt brand’s vast model range. It might even revive the hallowed A2 badge if some reports are to be believed.Back to the MY25 Life Cycle Edition, Audi’s aim is to revive flagging sales against newer rivals, from the redesigned Mini Cooper range that also includes the new Aceman EV series, to the updated and closely-related Volkswagen Polo.Last year, volume nosedived 62 per cent compared to 2023 figures, resulting in just 176 registrations, against 1559 for the Mini Cooper and 2154 for the Polo.Audi said it will stand behind the A1 for as long as the premium B-segment supermini is made available in Australia.“It is a popular stepping stone to the Audi brand… it is an important car for us,” Dale said.But there is a more prudent reason for the A1 to hang around, thanks to highly economical and efficient powertrain options that help keep the corporate average carbon-dioxide emissions average down in line with the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) that came into effect on January 1 this year.“The A1 helps us with NVES, because the A1 as it stands at today with the latest engine technology, that's well below the first two years of the NVES strategy,” Dale admitted.“That car actually pulls credits for us.”For how long supply for Australia can maintain remains to be seen, but with improved styling and specification, the MY25 Life Cycle Edition might end up being a vibrant last hurrah for the (relatively affordable) Audi.

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