Audi was working on a prestigious top model, but Volkswagen now seems to be pulling the plug.
Volkswagen is one of the brands that is not behind the times when it comes to electric cars. The Germans are busy rolling out their ID model range. In fact, they are already working on a groundbreaking car that should succeed the ID models.
This was all nicely conceived under the previous CEO Herbert Diess. Volkswagen would come up with a revolutionary flagship called Project Trinity. Audi was also working on a prestigious top model, under the name Project Artemis.
However, under new CEO Oliver Blume, all this is under threat. Last month it was already rumored that Volkswagen is abandoning the construction of the Trinity factory. The model would still be on the schedule, but instead of a wide and low sedan, it would now become an SUV. Surprise.
Not only Project Trinity is being overhauled, Project Artemis now also seems to be in jeopardy. The German Handelsblatt reports that Volkswagen wants to pull the plug on the prestige project Audi.
Project Artemis meant that Audi was working on a highly efficient top model that could drive autonomously at level 4. They had started this in 2020 and the car should already be on the market in 2024. That all sounded very ambitious.
Initially, Porsche would also cooperate, but it withdrew last January. Porsche is probably very happy with this decision now, although they paid as much as €100 million in compensation at the time.
The plan to scrap Project Artemis is said to be part of a new software strategy from Oliver Blume. This is necessary, because a few things went wrong in this area under Diess. So the new boss is going to completely change the course.
Incidentally, there will be a new flagship from Audi in the long term, but it will reportedly have a completely different basis. This will be on the same platform as the electric Panamera, which was developed by Porsche. We can expect these models in 2026 at the earliest.
Through: Automotive News Europe
This article ‘Audi scraps prestigious flagship’ first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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