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AUDI Australia is selecting a group of its premium dealers to spearhead its first move into the all-electric vehicle market that starts at the end of this year.

The local subsidiary of the German prestige brand has yet to decide on the number of primarily CBD-based dealers to take up the role of introducing and servicing the battery-electric E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback models, here by December.

The two-model E-Tron range, which should be followed next year by other full-electric models, is part of a bonus year for Audi dealers.

Audi Australia director of product planning and pricing Shawn Ticehurst said 25 new models and variants were planned to be rolled out this year, with the focus on performance models under the S and RS labels.

He said both the E-Tron and the E-Tron Sportback will launch at the same time and will be priced below $140,000.

It is the second time within three years that Audi has offered alternative-fuel vehicles.

“For the A3 and Q7 plug-in hybrid electric models of 2017 we had 10 dealers around Australia,” Mr Ticehurst said.

“We will be looking at launching the E-Trons with a similar model in terms of dealers.

“That’s simply because of the investment required to have a charging infrastructure set up, workshop requirements and so on.

“It’s a big investment and we recognise that not every dealer can do that.”

A representative of Adelaide’s Solitaire Audi dealership said the E-Tron and the performance S and RS models had already led to a build-up of orders. He said that the RS3, in particular, had attracted a lot of interest after being out of the Australian market for about a year.

The move to an all-EV model range follows the 2017 release of the A3 E-Tron and, later, Q7 E-Tron, both of which were plug-in hybrids.

“We sold a few hundred of these vehicles but Q7 was only brought in as a limited number of about 50,” said Audi Australia communications director Shaun Cleary.

“We were always planning them (A3/Q7 E-Tron) as limited-edition vehicles because it was a niche segment.

“I think we knew what was coming in the form of this year’s E-Tron models and so we were aware that the earlier cars were a springboard for us.

“Now we are ready to focus on the full-electric range for Australia.”

Mr Ticehurst said hybrids were “great technology” but that now was the time to go straight into full-electric vehicles.

“We have a great pair of cars with the new E-Trons that sit in the mid-size SUV segment in two body styles,” he said.

“Honestly, it couldn’t be better. It’s better for the Australian market and the dealers to be launching with a model like this. It’s the perfect combination. Take away the electric part of the E-Tron and it’s a great car in terms of style and features.

“The electric perspective is a huge benefit on top of that.

“We plan to bring them in starting at under $140,000. It equates in size and features to sit in between the Q5 and the Q7.

“Because of the design of the electric drive and because it’s built from scratch as an electric vehicle, the packaging in the cabin gives it the internal space almost as big as the Q8.

“That’s another big benefit of electric cars when they are electric from the ground up.”

Mr Ticehurst said 2020 would be the start of “our big journey into electric vehicles and our path to the future”.

“Obviously, Audi internationally is about to roll out electric vehicles, and in Australia we want to be part of that,” he said.

“So there’s two strings to our bow in our story this year – the EV journey and also the growth in the performance portfolio. It rounds out our offering to customers.”

Mr Ticehurst admitted that there was a lot of work to do in building awareness of the electric vehicle range, not only from Audi but from its competitors.

“We are continuing to work, together with the FCAI, to let government know what we are doing and get the awareness of what these cars are about and what benefits they bring to society,” he said.

“At the moment there’s nothing new from the government but I am optimistic for the future.

“There is no doubt that, over the top of all this, there needs to be a clear government framework surrounding the issue of energy. There is a lot of capital needed to be invested in energy production systems but it needs a framework to ensure it is viable.

“That’s equally a relevant point to the sale of the E-Tron vehicles.

“There is a much larger impact on the provision of electricity for these cars and that is having a growing importance given the backdrop of the need for sustainability.”

Audi Australia is a founding partner of EV technology company Chargefox for its infrastructure development.

“So we work with that network and because of that we won’t establish anything specific in infrastructure in a general way except what we offer our customers for their home or office with Audi charging points,” Mr Ticehurst said.

“That also applies to our dealerships. They will have their own infrastructure for the benefit of customers.

“We remain committed to working with Chargefox who are rolling out the charging highway all around Australia now in cities and even some destination charge points.

“We think that’s the best approach. Our research is telling us that 80 per cent of the time, people will charge their car either at home or at the office.

“That’s where, especially in an urban location, where most of the charging will occur.

“The destinations are there to do that out-of-town trip and to give some peace of mind for people that want to travel longer distances.

By Neil Dowling

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