Electric Car: Our Interview with Marc Ouayoun, Managing Director of Audi France

Mobiwisy met with Marc Ouayoun, General Manager of Audi France, on the occasion of the company’s strategic presentation of the Four Rings for the 2026 horizon.

What will be the face of the premium brand Audi in the coming years, at a time when the automotive market is transforming? As a specialist alongside BMW and Mercedes in the high-end and sporty models, how is the Ingolstadt brand beginning its shift towards electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles? Our questions!

What is the review of 2022 for Audi France in terms of electric and rechargeable car sales?

It can be viewed as half full or half empty. If we look at our sales report for electric vehicles in 2022, the outlook is rather positive since we achieved a +150% increase compared to the previous year. This includes more than 3,000 electric cars, of which 1,969 Audi Q4, 465 e-Tron GT, and 600 e-Tron. As for plug-in hybrids, the results are a bit more nuanced due to supply issues (notably with electrical wiring harnesses). We couldn’t meet all the demand and even had to halt orders for certain models (Audi A6 and Audi A7 TFSI e). Many customers were frustrated.

Regarding plug-in hybrids, precisely, most customers do not recharge their cars. What is Audi’s stance on this?

Encouraging them to use their PHEVs properly? Yes, that’s it. We focus on education through the network. We have trained our sales staff on how electric and hybrid cars work, mainly to understand the needs of each customer because a customer coming to us might not necessarily know, depending on their usage, which model of car to buy. At Audi, we still sell a lot of diesel vehicles, especially in regions with high mileage drivers. And plug-ins are not necessarily the ideal solution for long-distance travelers.

You have opened a new plant in Brussels. What is its particularity?

This factory producing the Audi Q8 e-Tron is certified carbon-neutral. It boasts one of the largest solar roofs in Europe, better controls its water consumption, and the energy produced there is entirely ‘green.’ Finally, we use rail transport. This is very important for us.

Range is a bit the nerve of the war with electric cars. What are your plans to improve it across your lineup?

Range is a topic that requires careful attention because, of course, we all dream of having cars that can go 1000 km on a single tank. But in real life, that isn’t necessarily what customers need. We have a psychological threshold at around 500 kilometers. There will also be a need to avoid the weight race and thus increasing battery capacity. With the weight tax in France, there is still a desire for cars not to become too heavy. That’s normal because the ecological footprint ultimately still matters.

If you have a car weighing 2.5 tons, the ecological footprint isn’t good. It’s clear that cars should remain within reasonable limits. With the upcoming Audi Q6 e-Tron (note: its presentation is scheduled for December 2023), we will achieve slightly higher ranges than 500 km, but what’s important to us is fast charging capability. And with the Q6 e-tron, you get both!

Can you tell us more about this?

For the Audi Q8 e-tron, we can recharge at 170 kW and 250 kW depending on the version. At 170 kW, you can still charge the car from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. With a vehicle using the PPE platform shared with Porsche, at 800 volts, charging times are around 20 minutes. And personally, I use an e-tron RS GT. I did 8,000 kilometers in three months, and I never had a charging problem, especially on Ionity network, with peaks up to 250 kW, provided the battery is well pre-conditioned.

We spoke about controlling weight. Is the future of Audi’s Quattro system at risk?

On the contrary, electric cars are often equipped with four-wheel drive. At Audi, we call it e-Quattro. The mechanical link between the wheels is no longer present. It’s a very different system that can manage five to six times the power of a mechanical system. Quattro has a future, especially because on electric vehicles it helps avoid making the cars too heavy.

What are the upcoming electric models expected from Audi?

We are already offering the facelift of the Audi e-Tron, renamed Q8 e-Tron, but the real novelty in 2023 is called Q6 E-Tron. We can also mention the upcoming A6 e-Tron, which we are eagerly awaiting, available in sedan and station wagon versions.

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