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Audi's 2025 goal for 25% EV sales? It's already happening

We were pleasantly surprised by Audi's full-throated support for plug-in vehicles at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. That support took the form of the surprising claim that between 20 and 25 percent of new Audis sold will have a plug by 2025. The encouraging electric love fest continues in a new press release that's all about the brand's European sales. Now, US sales of the A3 E-Tron will start at some point in the next two months, so we don't know how the excellent plug-in hatch will fare here but as you can see, things are going extremely well in Europe: A year after its market introduction, the sales figures for the Audi A3 e-tron are also extremely encouraging: In Western Europe, it conquered top spot among the electric cars in the premium compact segment over the past few months. In Norway and the Netherlands one in four Audi customers is already opting for an A3 e-tron. So, after being available for 12 months across the pond, the numbers are impressive. Perhaps Audi of America CEO Scott Keogh knew that the 25 percent threshold is already a reality in two countries when he spoke to us in LA. In any case, Audi's got something to point to today when people ask if selling 25 percent of its cars as EVs is possible. If you'd like to add your dollars to Audi's plug-in sales figures, the A3 E-Tron's configurator is live. AUDI AG: European sales up six percent in November Audi remains on track: With around 147,750 deliveries (+1%) in November, the company reaffirmed its strong sales result from the prior-year month. In Europe, the Ingolstadt-based carmaker increased sales by 6 percent to around 62,300 units, despite the model changeover for its bestseller, the Audi A4. Since the start of the year, more than 1.64 million customers worldwide have chosen the brand with the four rings, up 3.4 percent. "In light of extraordinary effects in China and the model phase-out for the first-generation Q7 in the United States, we are satisfied with our sales performance in November," says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. "The sustained high demand for Audi models in Europe and our good global order situation continue to provide momentum for the months ahead." Most recently, the brand's growth in Europe was driven particularly by the latest models: Sales of the Audi Q7, with the latest generation launched in summer, quadrupled to around 3,300 units in November.

South Korea to file criminal charges against VW exec

South Korea has tossed out Volkswagen's recall plans and is preparing to level criminal charges over its handling of the diesel emissions catastrophe, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Recall plans the company submitted to us earlier this month were insufficient and lacked key information, and thus are unacceptable," the South Korean Ministry of Environment said in a statement obtained by the WSJ. A ministry official hinted at the possibility of criminal charges earlier this month if VW's recall plan wasn't satisfactory, the Yonhap News Agency reports, and now it looks like it will actually follow through. According to the WSJ, South Korea has already ordered VW to recall 125,000 vehicles and slapped the automaker with a $12.3 million fine – one of the many countries to do so – but if it follows through with criminal charges against the company or its employees, it'd be among the earliest to so. Other countries, including the United States, are still exploring the possibility of criminal charges. Charges would likely come against both Audi Volkswagen Korea and its managing director, Johannes Thammer. It's not clear what the actual charge would be, but the WSJ claims Thammer could be facing up to five years in prison and a fine of 30 million won (around $24,700 at today's rates). For its part, VW officials in South Korea maintains that it is "doing its utmost to resolve the emissions issue" and that it plans to "offer further explanation" to authorities regarding its proposal for an emissions and fuel mileage fix in that country.

Audi prices 2014 A8L TDI from $82,500*

During the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, Audi told us that it would be bringing four new diesel-powered models to the United States this year. The first to arrive is the 2014 A8L TDI you see here, and we've now learned that the big oil-sipper will be priced from $82,500, (*excluding $895 for destination).
The whole new range of diesel models will be powered by Audi's 3.0-liter TDI V6, good for 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in this application. Of course, Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, and even in the big A8, the diesel grunt will be enough to propel the long-wheelbase flagship to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds (almost a full second slower than the A8 3.0T we reviewed last fall). That said, the A8 TDI should still be a pretty engaging steer, and considering the fact that this thing will reportedly return fuel economy figures of up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway (24 in the city), a slightly slower launch time is well worth it. (The A8 3.0T tops out at 28 mpg highway.)
Elsewhere in the segment, Mercedes-Benz offers a diesel version of its S-Class flagship, retailing for $93,000 and good for fuel economy figures of 21/31 mpg city/highway. By comparison, the A8 TDI seems like a steal, and we'll be interested to see where the forthcoming BMW 7 Series diesel falls into the class of huge oil-burning barges.