Head to Audi’s German website and you’ll find no fewer than 12 SUVs, as small as the Q2 and as big as the Q8. There’s something for everyone since the Four Rings have gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and electric models. What you won’t find in the configurator is a dedicated fun car since the TT and R8 are now a thing of the past.
The luxury brand doesn’t intend to fill those gaps anytime soon. Why? The sports car segment continues to shrink while SUVs are still rising even after decades of growth. Carsales magazine cites Audi Australia’s Product Planner Peter Strudwieke saying there are bigger fish to fry: “I think Audi is always looking at global segment trends. So that’s why, obviously, SUVs, for the past so many years, have been on the increase. At the moment, they’re still increasing.”
He goes on to say Sportback derivatives of certain Q models have some of the sports car DNA. However, the sad reality is those SUVs are mostly about styling changes to existing crossovers. Swoopy SUVs can hardly count as substitutes for the TT, let alone the mid-engined R8. Other models are missing from the lineup since the new A5 won’t spawn receive two-door models. It effectively means Audi isn’t selling coupes or convertibles anymore taking into consideration the droptop A3 several years ago.
In the meantime, it’s business as usual at the HQ in Ingolstadt. The next-gen Q5 Sportback will premiere later this month as a more expensive and less practical derivative of Audi’s BMW X3 competitor. However, some SUVs are living on borrowed time. The baby Q2 will be dropped from the lineup after a single generation. In addition, Audi wants to sell the Brussels plant in Belgium and kill the Q8 E-Tron and its Sportback sibling due to poor sales.
In China, Audi and SAIC recently partnered to launch the confusingly named AUDI brand, with three models to be gradually launched starting in 2025. Logic tells us at least one of them will be an SUV, although the initial AUDI E Concept looks like a supersized wagon.
If Audi does decide to bring back the Tourist Trophy one day, we won’t be surprised if it’ll be just another crossover. After all, there is a precedent. The TT offroad concept introduced a decade ago envisioned an SUV that never happened. The same year, there was also a TT Sportback serving as a swoopy four-door sedan, but that one failed to materialize as well.
The high demand for SUVs isn’t the only reason why fun cars have been put on the backburner. Audi Australia director Jeff Mannering mentions that the company needs to be cautious with how it spends money on new products, given the challenging economic climate of 2024. He also cited the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine as contributing factors.
Audi isn’t doing particularly well as sales are down 10.9% through September. In the third quarter, profits collapsed by 91%. Lest we forget parent company Volkswagen Group is pursuing huge cost-cutting plans, so launching a low-volume sports car would not move the needle.
