Audi's latest EV echoes a century of pioneering automotive technology
The latest major electric-powered announcement from one of the world’s biggest automotive brands comes with a fascinating historical echo that adds an extra layer of interest to what is already a seismic shift in the way the automotive industry is rapidly changing.
Audi recently announced that it would be going “back to its roots” and going full circle and locating the manufacturing of the latest Q4 e-tron in the Saxon town of Zwickau, the region where it all began for Audi way back in 1909 and the birthplace of German automotive excellence.
Throughout the early part of the 20th Century, the region of southern Saxony in eastern Germany became a hotbed for the burgeoning automotive industry and provided the stage for a myriad of companies and developers to manufacture two and four-wheeled, internal combustion-engined vehicles.
Over 110 years ago in Zwickau, engineer August Horch founded Audiwerke and joining with pioneering companies DKW and Wanderer led to the foundation of Auto Union where the world first saw the now iconic four rings that make up the Audi badge. In the mid-1960s Auto Union was acquired by Volkswagen from Daimler-Benz and the modern iteration of Audi came into being
Fast forward to 2021 and Audi’s multi-brand plant in Zwickau and as part of the Volkswagen Group (VAG) the Audi Q4 e-tron will be rolling off the same production line as the Volkswagen ID.4 and, in the future, another Volkswagen model.
The Volkswagen plant there has been converted to an all-electric plant and is now an integral part of VAG’s move away from building ICE-powered vehicles and in late 2020 more than 200 Audi employees, predominantly junior employees, were temporarily deployed to Volkswagen Saxony in Zwickau for a twelve-month stint. As part of a “human resources hub,” they will be given the opportunity to boost their skills and expertise in the pioneering field of electric mobility.
Dr. Stefan Loth, Chairman of the executive management of Volkswagen Saxony: “With the start of production of the Audi Q4 e-tron, the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau is now a multi-brand plant. As a result, we are writing yet another chapter in the long history of the automotive industry here in Saxony. I’d like to thank all the Audi employees who are currently manufacturing the vehicles to the very highest quality, in the agreed-upon volume, and on schedule.”
The Audi Q4 e-tron will be unveiled in mid-April and launched on the European markets throughout the summer of 2021 and is part of Audi’s plans to launch more than 20 fully electric models by 2025 as well as expanding its PHEV offering. The two main Audi plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm are also set to manufacture fully electric vehicles: So beginning in 2022, the first electric model based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) – developed jointly with Porsche – will roll off the Ingolstadt assembly line.
Production of the Q4 e-tron will be carbon-neutral right from the start. The Zwickau plant covers its entire energy needs using renewables and has a highly efficient combined heat-and-power plant.Audi is also working to further minimise CO2 emissions in the value chain. When the Audi Q4 e-tron reaches the end of its life cycle, its battery is to be used in second-life concepts or recycled as a source of raw materials.