Audi’s Looking to Seriously One-Up Its Rivals with Its New All-Electric Entry-Level Sedan

It’ll mark the beginning of one of Audi’s most radical and innovative eras to date.

Audi AG

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By Chris Chin

Published October 8, 2025

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Updated October 8, 2025

Audi is looking to seriously up its game in the entry-level EV sedan space, mainly with a focus on technology. According to Britain’s AutoCar, the Ingolstadt-based automaker is working double time to innovate and lead the way for what’s basically an all-electric A4.

More details about Audi’s effort coincidentally surfaced just as Tesla revealed its most affordable offering yet, the Model 3 Standard. The latter now boasts a starting price of just under $40,000, making it the cheapest Tesla yet.

But with the electric vehicle wars still trudging forward, the German premium brands are still looking to be at the forefront of the movement. At least, in terms of veteran automakers.

“The biggest change in the history of the company”

Silver Audi concept car with sleek, futuristic design and illuminated headlights against a textured white background. — Audi’s recent Concept C previews the automaker’s next-generation design language.

Despite companies like Audi and its parent company, Volkswagen AG, pumping the brakes on EVs, they’re still keeping them on the table.

As such, this supposed next-gen A4 EV will represent some of the “biggest change(s) in the history of the company,” according to CEO Gernot Döllner.

Rear view of a silver Audi sports car with horizontal taillights and black lower bumper against a marbled gray background. — The Concept C will reportedly spawn a new all-electric TT.

It’ll start with the company’s latest “Radical Next” design philosophy, which debuted with the recent Concept C sports convertible. According to AutoCar, the Concept C will heavily influence the A4 EV’s styling. The next-gen TT will also share various details and styling cues.

The “Radical Next” design language also designates the company’s overall next-generation product strategy. It’s essentially Audi’s equivalent to BMW’s inbound Neue Klasse strategy.

Silver Audi concept car with black tinted windows on a white circular platform in a modern showroom. — Future Audi models will incorporate many of the styling elements from Concept C.

To that note, Döllner is promising that Audi’s next-gen vehicles will feature “more interesting product.” He also expressed optimism in the wake of the tumultuous past several years, noting that his team “would not have expected 2025 to be as tough as it is.”

Audi’s been one of the first major brands to hop on the EV train. But after a lukewarm reception and market, their investments haven’t entirely paid off. As such, the automaker and even VW were forced to pivot back to ICE technology and rework their entire near-term product plan.

Silver sleek Audi electric sports car with black five-spoke wheels on a light textured floor. — Although it looks like a new R8, the Concept C is supposedly a precursor to an all-electric TT.

“I’m quite positive looking [ahead] to the next years, with a completed model line-up by the end of 2026,” he told AutoCar.

The sedan could be called the “A4 E-tron”

While an all-electric A4 has been rumored to be in the works, details never really surfaced until now. But none of it really comes as a surprise.

As expected, the new sedan will utilize Volkswagen AG’s latest SSP modular EV architecture. It’s the same platform that the automaker’s been touting over the last several years after heavily investing several billions into it.

Silver futuristic Audi concept car on a showroom floor with a man in a suit and a large screen showing vintage Audi cars and the text "Vorsprung durch Technik. — CEO Gernot Döllner introduced the Concept C at the Munich auto show.

Initial plans were to primarily focus on an all-electric midsize model first, or basically an A6 E-tron. But when asked about a more affordable model, Döllner admitted that an electric A4 would be equally as important for the brand.

“We have the A6 E-tron that’s positioned in a ‘middle segment’ and addresses a lot of customers from the A4 segment – but you’re right that an electric A4 is definitely a focus field for Audi,” he told reporters.

The A4 E-tron’s SSP roots will delay its release until 2028

Gray Audi sedan driving on a street with modern glass building and trees in the background. — Although Audi replaced the A4 sedan with the A5 sedan, the new EV will still be badged as an A4.

Although Döllner officially acknowledged that an A4 E-tron is in the works, he also shared that it won’t be ready until 2028.

That’s because the model will utilize the new SSP platform versus the current A6 E-tron’s use of Volkswagen AG’s PPE platform. Porsche jointly developed the latter with Audi and it currently underpins the Macan EV and the A6 E-tron and Q6 E-Tron.

Matte silver Audi concept car with sleek rear design and horizontal taillights on a light gray floor. — The Concept C represents the heart of Audi’s new “Radical Next” strategy.

With direct rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz promising up to 500-mile ranges, Audi saw the importance to use the company’s latest tech.

Expect a whole lot of Rivian-inspired tech

Another way Audi seeks to innovate in the space is with interior tech. Not too long ago, Volkswagen AG teamed up with Rivian in a joint-venture to co-develop in-car vehicle technologies.

Minimalist Audi car interior with digital steering wheel, horizontal touchscreen display, and fabric seats. — Audi hopes to balance both digital and physical interfaces in its future interiors.

That joint-venture will also heavily influence the overall driver experience for many of Audi’s new vehicles.

“It’s 2028 when we’ll see [the Rivian software] in the market. We are heavily working on it with the Rivian-Volkswagen joint venture, building up mules right now and working intensively together, so the first cars are already on their way,” Döllner continued.

Audi will be one of the first VW brands to benefit from its interior tech joint-venture with Rivian.

Audi AG

Döllner further explained that the new Rivian-based tech will debut in Audi’s first two new “Radical Next” vehicles. But he stopped short of specifying which models.

However, from this latest update, circumstantial evidence points at the A4 E-tron as being one of them.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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