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Audi plans three electric vehicles by 2020

Audi reiterated its focus on electrification Wednesday and said it is planning three new battery-powered electric vehicles by 2020. The announcement, made at Audi's annual corporate press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany, also confirmed more electric models will follow after 2020. Audi, which is clearly making electrification one of its core strategies, has trained more than 6,000 workers in high-voltage technology and is working on quick-charging public infrastructure. While Audi did not specify the new models, it is expected to expand use the E-tron name as a sub-brand throughout its portfolio, with a new sport utility vehicle the first to arrive. Audi showed a Q8 plug-in hybrid concept in January at the Detroit Auto Show (above) and an E-Tron Quattro concept styled like a future Q6 at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Conversely, Audi said last year it would kill off the R8 E-tron supercar in a move that allows it to focus on SUVs, which offer broader sales potential. The electrification strategy is part of Audi's role as the technology lead within the Volkswagen Group, which also highlights autonomous driving. Audi has a subsidiary that's developing solutions for cities, including a robot taxi service that could be used across the VW portfolio. Meanwhile, Audi said it took a $1.9 billion charge as a result of the VW Group diesel-emission and Takata airbag scandals and turned an operating profit of $3.3 billion as part of its Wednesday announcement. The company also reiterated its product cadence, and the next-generation A7 is due in 2018 along with the Q8. A new Q4 model will join the portfolio in 2019. Related Video:

2013 Audi RS Q3

The year 1994 was a really good year for German performance fans, because it was that year when Audi released its very first official RS model (for "RennSport," or racing sport), the RS2 Avant. Recently, I was invited to participate in a three-day leg of the Audi Land of Quattro Alpen Tour, a blatant flaunting over hill and dale of the company's current lineup of RS models. We hit Austria, Switzerland and Italy - the roads were epic and the weather held for this exquisite boondoggle.
Our chief focus on this tour, which included the RS6 Avant and RS7, was the newcomer RS Q3 small crossover that will absolutely never be coming to North America, but which starts deliveries in November of this year. This no-North America policy is because we still don't have enough customers who see the thrill or sense in a $52,000 all-wheel-drive baby sport utility that gets to 60 miles per hour from a stop in under five seconds. Meanwhile, in crazy, drunken Europe, orders for this ridiculous, wondrous set of wheels have, to quote Quattro head of technical development Stephan Reil, "far outstripped the limited production numbers of the business case." Those silly Europeans, don't they know that an RS Q3 makes no sense at all? Sheesh.

BMW considering building 3 Series in North America

There might be even more BMWs coming from North America soon. The company recently announced plans to build a flagship crossover called the X7 at its Spartanburg, SC, factory. Now, rumors are emerging that the Bavarians might be thinking about building a second North American factory that could build its quick-selling 3 Series.
According to Bloomberg, the German luxury giant is considering several possible locations for a North American factory, including two in Mexico, that may build the 3. "We will decide this in the next months. On the North American continent, there's still potential," said BMW production boss, Harald Krueger, in an interview meant for company staff obtained by Bloomberg.
If BMW decides to open a plant in Mexico, it would be following its rival Audi, which already announced construction of a factory there. Mercedes-Benz has been rumored to be working on a deal with Nissan to build its cars South of the Border as well. Rumors of Bimmer considering Mexican production have also cropped up in the past, so it wouldn't come as a total surprise to hear it made official.