Audi working on EV to rival electric BMW 3 Series
What's the story
Audi is gearing up to take on the electric BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a radical new version of its A4 model. The upcoming Audi A4 E-tron will be one of the first production cars to follow the 'Radical Next' design philosophy, inspired by Audi's Concept C sports car. It will play a key role in Audi's transition toward becoming an electric software-defined vehicle manufacturer.
Strategic overhaul
The biggest change in Audi's history
Audi CEO Gernot Dollner has confirmed the development of the new electric A4, calling it part of "the biggest change in the history of the company." He said this move is part of a broader strategy to completely rebuild its product line-up, design language, corporate structure and strategic outlook. The company has already reversed its controversial model naming strategy and pledged to cut its least profitable model lines.
Market adaptation
Challenges and hopes for Audi
Dollner admitted that he is "always optimistic" about the company's prospects but did not expect 2025 to be this challenging. The new US import tariffs and slow global EV demand have heavily impacted Audi's performance. However, he remains hopeful for the future with a completed model line-up by the end of 2026 and promises "more interesting products" as part of their Radical Next design introduction into the Audi line-up.
EV evolution
The future of the A4
Audi has been working on an electric A4 for years but never officially confirmed plans to launch an EV version of its most popular model. Dollner acknowledged that while the upcoming radical new electric executive saloons from Audi's biggest rivals make an A4 E-tron necessary, it is indeed a focus area for Audi. He revealed that "it will be a future Audi car on a future platform," confirming the architecture will be the new SSP skateboard across all Volkswagen Group brands.
Tech specs
Competing with the best
The electric A4 will be technically different from the existing A6 E-tron, which uses the PPE platform developed by Audi in partnership with Porsche. The shift to this new hardware will allow the A4 EV to compete better with electric 3 Series and C-Class models. However, no VW Group brand has revealed specific details about their engineering targets for SSP-based cars yet.
Design details
A new dawn for Audi
The electric A4 is likely to be among the first cars to use a software stack developed by Volkswagen Group's technical partner Rivian. This will mark a major step in computing capabilities for Audi. The new EV will also be strikingly different from today's ICE-powered A5 with bodywork inspired by the new Concept C show car, due in production in 2027.