Autocar confidential: Audi's post-ICE strategy, Kia goes Soul-searching and more
Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up a week in gossip from across the automotive industry
In this week's round-up of automotive gossip, Audi talks ICE legacies, Kia boss has no intention of taking the Soul EV off sale, and more.
*Audi's post-combustion strategy*
Audi boss Markus Duesmann believes the firm’s models can still stand out in the post-combustion era. “A 2.0-litre diesel engine is something you’ve been able to buy anywhere for decades,” he said. “We think a car’s special character depends on how well integrated it is; how well its components work together. We will offer the better design, better package, better interior and greater usability our customers expect – all with classic Audi quality and a very strong brand.”
*Kia's EV still has Soul*
The E-Niro outsells its quirky Soul EV sibling consistently, but Kia UK managing director Paul Philpott has no intention of taking the latter off sale. “There aren’t many brands today that can give people a choice of different EVs at a similar price point,” he observed. “We’ve known since the first-generation Soul was launched that the design is polarising: there’s a group that love it and there’s a group that wouldn’t have one. It’s a core part of the range but relatively low-volume.”
*Ferrari's powerplant power up*
The new Ferrari 812 Competizione packs Maranello’s most potent V12 engine to date, yet technical boss Michael Leiters hinted that an even more powerful iteration is on the cards. “We’re working on that,” he said cryptically. Chief marketing officer Enrico Galliera added jokingly that Ferrari “didn’t even think about” a track-only 812XX variant but that “we’re thinking about something that will be visible in the future”.
*READ MORE*
*New Audi concept will preview E-tron electric saloon *
*New 2021 Audi Q4 E-tron is premium-focused VW ID 4 sibling *
*Audi A6 E-tron Concept previews 2023 electric saloon*