Audi will not position itself as a ‘green brand’, the carmaker’s boss told Autocar today.
In a interview with the motoring magazine, Rupert Stadler, Audi’s Chairman said that the company would always build as efficient vehicles as possible but would not necessarily market itself as a green brand, unlike its rival, BMW.
Stadler told the magazine: “We will stick to our Vorsprung Durch Technik philosophy, not have a catch-all marketing claim such as Efficient Dynamics. We’re convinced in Vorsprung Durch Technik, we’re a dynamic, sporty brand but not necessarily positioned as a green brand. That will come about as a matter of course.
“We want to take out weight and want to further diesel and FSI technology. We can still improve fuel consumption. But we will not position Audi as a green car brand – we will fulfil regulations – but we are also an emotional brand.”
The carmaker is expected to focus on maintaining performance, with improvements in efficiency made where possible without compromising on drive. Mr Stadler also went on to say that he would not rush to release an electric car until he was reassured that it could perform as Audi buyers would expect although he did confirm that Audi is expected to have its electric E-tron in production by 2012.
“We have to optimise performance of electric cars,” he said. “Performance is part of our emotional appeal, so it’s very important.”
Read the full Autocar article here.
