Audi Consider Buying Electric Vehicle Platforms From Competitors To Accelerate EV Growth

JAKARTA - Audi is considering buying an electric vehicle platform from one of its Chinese competitors to accelerate the growth of its electric car. This happened because the German company could not wait long with the presence of a new platform owned by its parent company, VW Group, namely the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which will be launched in 2026.

As reported in Automobilwoche, Sunday, July 9, Audi will discuss the matter in a meeting with its supervisory board this week. Most likely, Oliver Blume, CEO of VW Group, has given approval for the project.

Audi has reportedly held talks with several Chinese automakers. As a brand with the "four rings" logo, Audi really needs an electric vehicle platform to launch the latest model. In addition, the technology of the Chinese platform is classified as sophisticated and compatible with electric car technology.

Audi also needs to present the latest electric vehicle model in this very competitive market. The decision regarding the purchase of the electric vehicle platform will be taken, although there has been no official announcement at this time.

In the Chinese market, Audi currently sells the Q4 e-tron and Q5 e-tron models based on the current MEB platform. Both models are produced locally at the Audi plant in Anting, China.

While waiting for a new generation platform, Audi is working with its strategic partner, FAW, to build an electric car factory in China that will produce models with the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture starting at the end of 2024. This platform will be used for Audi A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron.

Volkswagen's Trinity project is likely to be the first model to use the SSP platform and will be launched between 2029 and 2030. This means that the first Audi model to use the SSP platform is still far from launching. However, the Trinity Project will be introduced to the public in 2026.