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Audi CEO says brand's EVs are almost as profitable as its other cars

After, oh, a hundred years or so of building vehicles primarily powered by internal combustion engines, automakers around the world have been and still are pumping billions of dollars into the development of electric vehicle technology. Everything from platforms and batteries to motors and the software to control it all requires untold hours of development, and that takes time and money. Fortunately, it's not going to take long for that massive investment to start paying off, at least according to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, who told Reuters in an interview that "The point where we earn as much money with electric cars as with combustion engine cars is now, or ... next year, 2023. They are very even now, the prices." As a brand, Audi contributed more than a quarter of overall profit for the massive Volkswagen Group, which has such powerhouse brands as Volkswagen and Porsche among others. Under the Audi umbrella are Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati, and it seems those high-end branches aren't going anywhere, at least for now. "These brands ... are very valuable very profitable brands, where we can even expand the synergy level in the future," Duesmann said in the interview. "There are no plans whatsoever to get rid of them." Despite the overall profitability of the brand, the ongoing global chip crisis is causing headaches. "We had a very strong first half in 2021. We do expect a much weaker second half," said Duesmann, who added, "We really have trouble." In fact, so serious is the trouble that the brand is forced into "a day-to-day troubleshooting process" to limit the chip-shortage damage. The good news for the automaker is that Audi has been able to boost its profit margin from 8% prior to the pandemic in 2019 to 10.7% in the first half of 2021. The bad news is that various chip shortages aren't expected to get a whole lot better over the rest of the year. Related video:

VW brands excluded from Wards 10 Best Engines for 2016

You definitely won't be seeing a powerplant from Volkswagen or Audi on the 2016 Ward's 10 Best Engines list. In a serious rebuke against them, WardsAuto is excluding all VW/Audi powertrains for at least this year after the German automakers' ongoing emissions regulations evasions. There's no guarantee of the companies returning for 2017, either. In a story on its website, WardsAuto executive editor Tom Murphy writes that the ban lasts "until we are convinced the culture of deceit has been purged, fines have been paid and regulators are satisfied." That could be a while, the way things are looking. The exclusion knocks three powertrains out of the running for this year's list. As a winner last year, WardsAuto would usually test VW's 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder again for 2016. Plus, it planned to check out the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Audi A6 and the plug-in hybrid from the A3 Sportback E-Tron. In the story, Murphy finds VW's actions particularly despicable because of what they could be doing to the popularity of diesel passenger cars in this country. "BMW, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler also sell light-duty diesel engines in the US, but their sales outlook suddenly has grown murky, thanks to VW's shenanigans," he writes. So far, Jaguar Land Rover is remaining confident of US consumers continuing to buy diesel models, though. We'll be able to see the real effects of VW and Audi's ban in a few months because the 2016 Ward's 10 Best Engines will be published December 10. With two major automakers out of the running, their rivals will likely greet this as a better chance to make the grade.

Recharge Wrap-up: VW consumption down 24%, BAIC opens EV R&D in CA

The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership will provide grant funding to 21 states to help improve consumers' access to renewable fuels. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture announced the funding, which will help retailers purchase and install the equipment necessary to dispense fuels like E85 and other higher ethanol blends. Groups such as the American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, Prime the Pump, and the Renewable Fuels Association came forward to applaud the announcement. "This assistance in building out retail infrastructure is not only good for the American farmer but it is also great for the American motorist who will now have more opportunities to buy higher octane fuel at a lower cost," says Prime the Pump Chairman Ray Defenbaugh. Read more from Domestic Fuel. Volkswagen has reduced resource consumption of its vehicle production by 24.3 percent since 2011. As part of its "Think Blue. Factory." program, the automaker has implemented a series of environmental efforts (a number VW puts at 3,400 measures) at its factories worldwide. Examples include optimizing shut-down schedules, reducing solvent emissions, energy recovery programs, and recycling paper, plastic, and water. Read more at Green Car Congress. BAIC has opened an electric vehicle research and development center in California's Silicon Valley. The Chinese automaker's first overseas R&D facility, it opened under BAIC's subsidiary, Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. (BJEV), and is affiliated with the Beijing New Engineering Research Institute. The center will be responsible for the research and development of three to four new models per year, as BJEV intends to bring a complete lineup of EVs to market. BJEV also plans to open an R&D center in Europe. Read more at Green Car Congress or from BAIC. Co-CEO of Zap and CEO of Jonway Autos, Wang "Alex" Gang is providing $10 million in funding to the two companies in order to meet electric minivan orders. Zap/Jonway have taken down payments from Dongfeng to supply 11,000 of the EVs by the Chinese New Year (February 8) of 2016. The equity investment from Wang allows Zap/Jonway to ramp up production to meet this deadline, with a target of 1,000 EVs per month by year's end. Read more in the press release below. CEO Funds $10 million To Support ZAP and Jonway Auto in Delivering 11,000 EV minivan Orders SANTA ROSA, Calif., Sept.