Audi has confirmed that it will sink a substantial £19 billion into its ongoing development between 2015 and 2019.
The record sum represents a £1.6 billion increase on the German manufacturer's previous plans. It is described as being integral to a growth strategy that aims to see Audi increase its line-up from an existing 50 models to over 60 by the end of the decade.
Audi has confirmed some £13 billion will be spent directly on new models and technology – over half of this at Audi’s existing Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites in Germany.
As part of Audi’s plans, production of the Audi A1 will move from Brussels, Belgium to Ingolstadt, Germany when the second generation model arrives in 2016.
Some £780 million is also earmarked for Audi’s new manufacturing sites in Mexico and Brazil.
The company’s head of research, Ulrich Hackenberg, says the main focus of the investment will be on new models in the C and D segments, as well as what he describes as Audi's Q family of SUVs.
Among the technology being targeted by Audi is digitalisation and alternative drive systems.
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yes VW group are rather large
When your spending billions on development, it costs no more to make a car as beautiful, as it bland, so why not actually put some style and pizzazz into the look of the cars, rather than have every model, look like another one on the range, thats just boring and lazy design..........
Jag are going that route, now, and thats a real shame, the next gen XF will be a bigger twin to the XE, adn expect the XJ to be totally different, ready for the next XE and XF to copy that, WHY, please, if Citroen can give us crazy design and low prices (C4 Cactus) why not the premium brands...........
I know people dont like Citroen, but you can not deny that, love it or loathe it, the C4 Cactus is radically different to anything else you can buy, so if you can get that at £12k, why not get something radical and beautiful further up that scale................
Or is just laziness, i think it may well be......
Without the customer developing a bit of imagination
Audi, more truthfully the VW Group generally, stand fair to get away with it. Be prepared for a lot of boring shapes.
Audi fatigue