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After less than a year on the market, Audi RS e-tron GT prices plummeted.

On September 29th, FAW Audi announced that since September 29th, 2023, the official guidance price of Audi RS e-tron GT has been reduced from 1.4688 million yuan to 1.2478 million yuan, a drop of as much as 221000 yuan. At the same time, FAW Audi said in the "Audi RS e-tron GT manufacturer's recommended Retail Price Adjustment Note" that according to the difference between the invoice amount of the car purchased by users and the manufacturer's suggested retail price after this adjustment, all users who buy Audi RS e-tron GT before September 29, 2023 will be provided with an exclusive subsidy program. Details can be inquired from the relevant authorized dealers.

Audi RS e-tron GT is a high-performance electric GT car owned by Audi, and it is also the first pure electric RS model launched by Audi in China. The car went on sale on December 30 last year, positioning the electric four-door GT coupe, which can be seen as the RS version of e-tron GT, based on the J1 pure electric platform jointly developed by Audi and Porsche, so it is often jokingly called a hulled car.

In terms of appearance, Audi RS e-tron GT front face with integrated closed grille and bright black decoration, appears to have a more textured, with sharp shape on both sides of the headlamp group, the front surrounded by complex ventilation openings shape to add a sports atmosphere to the vehicle. On the side of the body, the Audi RS e-tron GT overall line is very smooth, using a low-lying sports car shape. The waist curve of the car body is combined with the front and rear fender to create a wide visual effect. In addition, the car also matches low wind resistance wheels and red brake calipers, and can be equipped with carbon fiber ceramic brake discs, which are optimized without losing the sense of movement. In terms of size, Audi RS e-tron GT is 4990/1960/1410mm in length, width and height, and 2900mm in wheelbase. In the rear part, the sleek roof line of the car slides down to the rear and integrates with the back car to form a hatchback design. The taillight group adopts the popular penetrating LED light group, and the "arrowhead" light source in the main body of the taillight on both sides is highly recognizable. The tail diffuser uses carbon fiber to improve the combat attribute.

In the interior part, Audi RS e-tron GT adopts the brand's classic digital cockpit design, equipped with full LCD dashboard and embedded central control multimedia display screen. At the same time, part of the physical keys are retained in the central channel area, together with the three-spoke multi-function steering wheel and electronic shift mechanism to further enhance the sense of science and technology in the car.

In terms of power, Audi RS e-tron GT adopts front and rear axle motor with maximum power of 175kW and peak torque of 300Nm; rear axle motor with maximum power of 335kW and peak torque of 550Nm; integrated maximum power (boost mode) of 475kW, combined maximum torque of 830Nm, acceleration time of 0-100km / h is 3.3s. In addition, Audi RS e-tron GT will also be equipped with 93kWh lithium-ion battery, WLTP mileage 488km.

As a high-performance version of Audi e-tron GT, Audi RS e-tron GT does not have a strong sense of presence in the market. On the one hand, the car is expensive and does not have an advantage in performance-to-price ratio; on the other hand, the competition in the high-end electric car market is becoming more and more fierce.

The FAW Audi initiative to reduce the price of Audi RS e-tron GT has also triggered extensive discussion, and may also be a reflection of Audi's pressure on the electrified transformation. The reduction in the price of Audi RS e-tron GT may be to maintain market competitiveness and expand market share, but the price for Audi RS e-tron GT models may not have much effect.

Audi has three joint ventures in China, including FAW-Volkswagen, SAIC Audi and Audi FAW. China is already Audi's largest single market in the world, but its performance in China is not good. Stretching to the first half of this year, Audi's electric car sales in China have lagged significantly behind BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In the first half of this year, Audi sold 296000 vehicles in China, down 6.6 per cent from a year earlier, while Mercedes-Benz and BMW sold 377200 and 392000 vehicles respectively, up 6 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively, according to the data. Judging from the sales performance in the first half, Audi has been distanced by BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Of course, the year-on-year sales growth of BMW and Mercedes-Benz has benefited from a richer matrix of new energy products, which Audi cannot match.

According to the official website, Audi currently sells new energy vehicles in China, including Q2L e-tron, A6L e-tron, Q4 e-tron, e-tron, Q5L e-tron and so on, but the sales performance is not excellent. In the first half of this year, the cumulative sales of Q4 e-tron, Q5 e-tron, A6L plug-in hybrid, e-tron and Q2 e-tron were 8982, 2119, 1421, 229 and 98, respectively.

Industry insiders believe that the price adjustment of Audi RS e-tron GT is not just the adjustment of a single product. According to the latest data from the Federation of passengers, in August this year, the monthly sales of most of Audi's domestic electric vehicles showed a month-on-month decline. The data show that sales of Q4 e-tron, Q5 e-tron, e-tron, A6L plug-in hybrid and Q2L e-tron were 2301 (2503 in July), 357 (425 in July), 155 (147in July), 32 (16 in July) and 18 (24 in July) respectively.

Earlier, Oliver Blume, chief executive of Volkswagen Group, publicly admitted that the Audi brand lagged behind its competitors, particularly in electric cars, and promised to revive Audi's highlight moment in the future. "the Audi brand has great potential, but it hasn't been shown in recent years," Oliver Blume said. We did not defend its lead over its main competitors and we had to postpone the planning of exciting electric cars because of software problems. And specifically mentioned the Chinese market: "the group's business is highly dependent on China, but at present the pure electric vehicle product line is not competitive in the Chinese market." As a reference, the data show that global sales of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi pure electric vehicles in 2022 were 215000, 149000 and 118200 respectively.

At present, fuel vehicles have reached their peak, and new energy vehicles have gradually become an important product in the layout of traditional automakers. For Audi, 2023 is a key year for the transformation. It is understood that the Q6 e-tron, which has been postponed many times, will be released at the end of this year. In addition, Audi and FAW joint venture Audi FAW New Energy will also be officially put into production next year. The first model is the A6 e-tron based on the PPE platform.

According to the plan, Audi's new models for the global market will be fully switched to pure electric vehicles from 2026, and the production of internal combustion engine models will be gradually stopped by 2033, when Audi's own production base around the world will be put into electric car production.

It should be noted that, as one of the luxury brands of Volkswagen Group, Audi is relatively slow in electric transformation and does not have its own electric platform. Its electric vehicles are built on four electric vehicle platforms shared by Volkswagen brands. For example, Audi RS e-tron GT is based on J1 pure electric platform jointly developed by Porsche and Audi. It is understood that the PPE platform that Audi can really use on a large scale will not be completed and put into mass production until the end of 2024, but at present, the competition in the high-end new energy vehicle market is becoming more and more fierce, and the dominance is gradually tilting to Chinese brands. Obviously, under the dual pressure of the spring tide of electrified transformation and global market competition, Audi, as a traditional luxury brand, can only speed up the pace of electrified transformation to reduce the possibility of falling behind.

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