All-Electric Audi eQ5 Coming by End of Decade, Along With Changes for ICE Q5
As Audi moves toward a total electric transformation, we have new details on the Audi eQ5, as well as when the existing ICE models may disappear.
Change is inevitable, as they say, and that applies to not only our personal lives, but the automotive world as well. Even as new models are introduced, their replacements are being planned in what is a perpetual product cycle of sorts. On the Audi side of the equation, there’s a lot of change coming over the next few years in terms of its lineup as the luxury brand prepares to go all-electric by the early 2030s, and will stop developing new ICE models by the end of 2026 as it launches EVs such as the new Audi eQ5.
There are still a lot of unknowns in terms of when specific Audi models will be discontinued and when new ones will be introduced, but AutoForecast Solutions recently released a future product roadmap that gives us a glimpse at a couple of them, at least. That list starts with the Q5, which has been around since 2009 and entered its second generation back in 2018. Production of the current model is slated to end on 4/30/2024 at the San Jose Chiapa, Mexico plant, while next-gen production will reportedly follow and run through 9/28/2029.
As for the stylish Q5 Sportback, it’s a fairly new product after having debuted in 2021, capitalizing on the surging “coupe” SUV/crossover trend with its sloping rear roofline. Production of the current-gen Q5 Sportback is slated to run through 6/28/2024, while the next-gen model enters production on 7/1/2024 and is scheduled to run through 6/28/2030, giving ICE fans a few more years to purchase this particular combination.
Finally, we have the Audi eQ5, which seems as if it’s a version of the new Q5 e-tron being sold in China – an all-electric variant of the popular crossover. Given the fact that it’s slated to enter production on 10/1/2029 and continue through 9/28/2035, this makes a lot of sense, as it fits perfectly within Audi’s all-electric transition timeline. It’s unclear if the brand will be ditching its e-tron nameplate for the simpler “e” nomenclature, but that’s what it’s being called for now.
As for the rest of the Audi lineup, well, that remains a bit of a mystery. The brand’s parent company, Volkswagen, is one of the more aggressive at the moment when it comes to transitioning to electrification, but it also seems as if it’s leaving itself bit of an out over the next few years in the event that technology doesn’t progress the way most expect it to.
Photos: Audi
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