Audi is Years Behind Schedule On Its New EV Flagship
At this point, the long-awaited Audi flagship is three years behind schedule, and it’s causing drama at Volkswagen Group.
Currently, delays are the norm in the automotive industry. The ongoing pandemic, supply chain issues, and the global chip shortage have combined to create a perfect storm for manufacturers. But according to our friends at Automotive News Europe, that’s not what’s holding up the development of Project Artemis, Audi’s long-awaited electric flagship. Instead, the problems stem from the Volkswagen Group’s subsidiary Cariad, which has been tasked with developing the software for the cutting-edge machines.
The range-topping EV is slated to be a roadgoing version of the stunning GrandSphere concept, and feature Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. At Level 4, a human will still be able to drive, but in many specific environments, the vehicle will largely be able to operate independently. And despite what Kool Aid-drinking Tesla fans would have you believe? That tech is still being developed, and the engineers at Cariad are apparently struggling with it. Which has resulted in Project Artemis being delayed until at least 2027.
Now, given how intertwined the projects of the Volkswagen Group are, it won’t come as a surprise that issues with software development are wreaking havoc across the portfolio. Both the electric Porsche Macan and the Audi Q6 e-tron — which share underpinnings, like the Taycan and e-Tron GT — are behind schedule as well. Apparently, the delays are severe enough that Ingolstadt has had to retool its roadmaps for releases. Here’s a relevant bit from ANE:
Audi now plans to launch a slimmed-down electric flagship, codenamed Landyacht, with a higher body shape in 2025, but without autonomous driving technology that was supposed to help the brand counter competition from Tesla and German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
As a motorcyclist, I find it terrifying how companies are scrambling to get “self-driving cars” to market. Particularly when Tesla has demonstrated a willingness to use American roads as its test track, and is marketing that its cars have a “Full Self Driving” mode. The safe way to do autonomous driving wouldn’t be to make it so people kind of have to pay attention. The safe way to do it would be to make it so the vehicle was 100% able to drive on its own, and forget all this halfway garbage until the tech is fully cooked. Otherwise, we’re just asking for trouble. Fight me.
Photos: Audi