Audi, Volkswagen’s main profit contributor, plans to invest about a third of its R&D budget – which totalled 4.24 billion euros (A$6.24 billion) in 2015 – in digital services, electric cars and autonomous driving by 2025.
Audi will offer on-demand mobility services for premium customers and increase the share of electric vehicles of its overall sales to about a fourth by 2025, sources told Reuters. The marc sold a record 1.8 million cars last year.
To free up funds for the new strategy, Audi plans retrenchments in its conventional car program including steps to reduce country-specific engine and transmission variants.
The changes come as three US states plan to unveil new lawsuits against Volkswagen, tied to the automaker’s sale of diesel vehicles with emissions-cheating software, even after they announced settlements with the German automaker in June.
