Change is hard, even when it is a good thing. Despite all of the positive news and reports on the benefits of the EV revolution that is inevitably headed our way, many are still averse to the transition. Maybe it is the mute tone with which EVs muster their power, or perhaps the lack of a need for a manual transmission, and thus, a diminished driving experience.
But, in recent years, we’ve seen how BMW has used sound pumped into the cabin via the stereo to increase the visceral nature of cars like its magnificent i8 hybrid. We have also recently reported on how Toyota has a faux manual EV transmission in the works to keep the idea of an authentic driving experience, one worth having.
The Q4 e-tron Sportback sales grew by 352%
A new update from Audi tells us that the tide may be turning, and more people may be for evolution than against it for the first time.
2023 was officially Audi of America’s best sales year to date. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Audi made 60,670 deliveries alone, which is a twelve percent increase from Q4 of 2022. Overall, total deliveries in 2023 numbered 228,550 cars and SUVs, an impressive twenty-two percent uptick versus 2022.
The biggest news is the manner in which those sales break down. Out of the 17 models available in Audi’s stable, oddly, the A4, A7, and Q3 are all down compared to 2022. The A3, A5, A6, A8, Q8, and TT are all up between 30 and 45 percent.
The top two sales performers are both of the electric variety. The Q4 e-tron sold 2,929 units in 2022 and a whopping 8,144 units in 2023, which translates to a year-to-year increase of 178%. Even more impressive is the Q4 Sportback e-tron, which is Audi’s unequivocal sales champion. In 2022, just 576 of these athletic SUVs found owners, but just a year later, 2,606 units were out the door, an increase of 352%.
It may take a while yet for everyone (or as close to ‘everyone’ as anything can ever actually get) to leave their fossil-fueled cars and trucks in the past, but with technology advancing quickly, it may allay many people’s fears about range anxiety and the like.
That, combined with the mere fact of having EVs becoming a more ‘normal’ part of everyday life, will undoubtedly create a familiarity that we can already see beginning to take hold. While Audi may not yet have the massive numbers that market leader Tesla commands, the fact that the e-tron is the most improved car sold by the German manufacturer is very telling.
