VW pushes Audi A4 E-tron to 2029, its second SSP delay

Volkswagen's cost crunch has claimed another electric car. According to Autocar, production of the Audi A4 E-tron is being pushed back until at least 2029, a year later than originally planned. The electric sedan was meant to be one of the first models built on VW's SSP platform.

The delay isn't purely a software problem. Autocar reports Audi demanded significant changes to the SSP platform so the EV more closely matched the current gas A4, including individual footwells for front and rear passengers that would require repositioning the battery. Audi also reportedly asked for a 48V electrical system instead of the planned 12V setup.

The timing stings. BMW already has the new i3 and Mercedes-Benz has the C-Class EV, both with major gains in range, charging and efficiency over their previous-generation EVs, leaving Audi behind in the mid-size sedan segment.

The A4 E-tron follows the electric Golf off the schedule. VW brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said in a late-October internal memo, reviewed by Reuters, that Golf development is on hold at Wolfsburg, with the plant about €300 million ($334.5 million) short of its cost-cutting targets. “We simply can't afford this work right now,” Schäfer wrote. The Golf EV slipped from 2028 to around 2030, and Schäfer blamed the SSP taking longer than expected, again citing costs.

That backdrop is ugly: VW Group posted an operating loss of €5.9 billion ($6.5 billion) in the third quarter, its biggest quarterly loss since Dieselgate in 2015. Volkswagen has leaned on its Rivian joint venture to build the software-defined vehicle architecture behind SSP. Back in March, VW said test vehicles including the ID.EVERY1, Audi and Scout ran “comprehensive evaluation” and validated over-the-air functionality. Volkswagen said in 2023 that more than 40 million models were expected to be built on the 800V SSP.

VW's works council said the Golf EV pause won't push its launch, promising to make up lost time, with 2030 still the target. The Audi A4 E-tron is now expected around 2029.