Volkswagen-owned Audi is known to be suspending the great roll-out of fixed-price EV automotive gross sales, reflecting a transfer by different manufacturers to equally row again on the direct-to-consumer company gross sales.

Initially scheduled for the top of subsequent month, the choice to tweak its method comes quickly after Jaguar Land Rover deserted its company gross sales venture with Stellantis additionally suspending the shift to direct gross sales till a minimum of the top of 2026.

Audi was planning to transition by the top of April, which might have included the gross sales of fashions just like the This fall e-tron, e-tron GT, and Q8 e-tron being bought direct to automotive patrons.

The producer now says the transition will start with the introduction of solely the brand new Audi Q6 e-tron, albeit sooner than scheduled, earlier than being prolonged to different electrical fashions ‘progressively and aligned with Audi’s new mannequin offensive over the approaching 12 months.’

A spokesperson for Volkswagen Group stated: ‘Following the profitable introduction of an company mannequin for the sale of electrical automobiles to personal shoppers within the UK by the Cupra, Skoda and Volkswagen manufacturers, Audi will undertake the identical mannequin from April 2024, three months sooner than initially envisaged.” 

One trade insider, commenting on latest bulletins by a variety of OEMs making u-turns on company questioned whether or not the company technique had been sufficiently thought by means of within the first place.

“Has the push market modified the pondering? There is a a lot freer provide of automobiles into the UK market now and people automobiles must be bought. The problem is, are there sufficient patrons for these new automobiles?”

“Rates of interest are in all probability quadruple and even 5, six instances of what they had been, when company was established. Sellers at all times paid stocking prices however really the OEM now has these automobiles and the pure funding value of that’s important.”