WHY Is Audi Taking SO Long To Re-Do The Model People Like The MOST?

Like any auto company Audi has had its ups and downs.

A few years ago they were on top of the world on a great upward climb.

R8, A7, Q5 ALL hot. And the competition was getting worried.

Because not only were sales gaining but the mindshare of who was the 'must' luxury brand to but was looking more and more like Audi.

But boy do things change fast...Especially, when Elon Musk comes into the picture.

The e-Tron is DOA and was doing nothing before the pandemic. IMAGINE, how bad sales will be for April. R8, no one cares anymore. New A8, hideous, inside and out. Looks like a Buick Park Avenue. A6, older than dirt.

So if you look at the more popular selling Audi models lately, the ONLY one that still seems to be selling in good numbers is the Q5 small SUV. Makes sense, people love small suv's and crossovers and the Q5 really fits the bill. But its been out SO DAMN LONG with no meaningful changes or redesign.

So we ask WHY THE HELL IS IT TAKING SO LONG to bring out an all new, redesigned Audi Q5? ESPECIALLY, seeing it's a bread and butter product for them.

MDarringer - 4/19/2020 9:30:26 PM

+3 Boost

Audi was doing some creative book keeping to do month after month of record growth. You'd think that if that level of explosive growth were true that Audis would have been as common as Camrys, but they weren't. Thus, the narrative did not fit the reality.

As for the Porsche Macan, everyone knows it's a Q5 with different fenders. My guess is that the next Macan will come first and the Q5 to follow so they can do the BS of Audi using a Porsche platform as opposed to Porsche badge engineering an Audi.

ricks0me - 4/19/2020 10:57:58 PM

+1 Boost

Matt: I Agree with what you wrote but a redesign for Audi equals a Botox injection for Nancy Pelosi.
In other words:
You can’t tell the difference

MDarringer - 4/19/2020 11:36:20 PM

+1 Boost

Does the Q5 do the denture sucking and stuttering?

lenkun - 4/19/2020 11:33:25 PM

+2 Boost

Have you done your research and fact checks before writing this? The Q5 was all new just two years ago built on the all new MQB platform. Most new generation and all new design is at least every 5 years with mid life cycle refresh in between. It's just that Audi's design became so dull that people like you didn't even noticed it's all new in 2018.

runninglogan1 - 4/20/2020 12:04:06 AM

+2 Boost

Exactly. The Q5 is only two years old. Lol.

runninglogan1 - 4/20/2020 12:13:17 AM

+4 Boost

A6 is older than dirt except it's only two years old too.

cidflekken - 4/20/2020 5:28:14 PM

+2 Boost

I was just about to say the same thing. It was just fully redesigned for the 2019 model year. How much faster do you want a model cycle to go? LOL.

But, yes, there is a problem when people, especially "enthusiasts" don't recognize a redesign. That seems to be a problem that plagues Audi the most out of all brands. It's one thing to be evolutionary. It's another to be completely non-descript. But, for sure, it hasn't hurt its sales as it still sells right in line with the GLC, X3, and RDX.

Agent001 - 4/20/2020 11:38:05 PM

+1 Boost

Even car aficionados can't tell the difference. It was nothing more than a refresh. And unbelievably boring one.

001

MDarringer - 4/21/2020 11:08:23 AM

+1 Boost

Remember 001, to some a nondescript refresh is a "full redesign".

cidflekken - 4/22/2020 3:03:05 AM

+1 Boost

Would a "refresh" be given a totally different model designation (8R vs FY) and also switch from the MLB platform to the MLBevo platform?

GermanNut - 4/20/2020 11:32:42 PM

+1 Boost

Audi lost its momentum because people got sick and tired of having a new generation Audi look just like the past two generations. The reason why the Q5 and A6 look so old despite being "all-new" just two years ago is because they look just like the previous model Q5 and A6.

Add in interior styling that is very divisive with the two touch screens and buyers are going elsewhere.

1lostVW - 4/21/2020 12:37:56 PM

+1 Boost

Arrogance and Greed, the Q5 is so dated it is costing Audi Sales, customers want the Q3 tech in the Q5, but that costs $$ and why spend it if there is any hope of selling the old fully depreciated Q5. Some minor exterior changes 2 years ago is not what it takes to keep up the pace. Audi in the USA is dying, anyone that thinks otherwise should spend their money and buy a dated Q5 and then tell all of us about how much you like living with 2009 tech in your SUV that you paid a premium for. The logo is not all that people expect when buying a new Automobile.

MDarringer - 4/21/2020 1:20:53 PM

+2 Boost

Audi is rudderless for product development and marc lichte is fresh out of ideas for styling.

mini22 - 4/21/2020 5:37:36 PM

+1 Boost

See I thought the Q5 is still one of Audi's best sellers. I think German car culture does not like radical change. Look at Porsche. 911 elements will be a standard requirement of all Porsche design for the next 50 yrs. I bet. You look at a modern BMW interior and you can see elements going back to the mid 80's. Audi has their styling elements as well. Its hard to see them getting too radical in the styling department. This is one reason why Jaguar are failing. They left their heritage behind.