The return of the Audi A4 will take longer than expected.

The return of the Audi A4 was supposed to happen in 2028. However, technical issues have pushed its launch to 2029.

In 2024, the Audi A5 took the place of the A4 in the German brand’s lineup as part of Audi’s reorganization of its model names. Since then, fans of the brand have been waiting for the return of the name used by the successor to the Audi 80.

The A4’s return was promised as a 100% electric model, reflecting Audi’s strategy of reserving even numbers for electric vehicles and odd numbers for combustion engine models. Initially, everything pointed to 2028, but the reality will be slightly different.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner confirmed that the project has been delayed due to technical problems with Volkswagen Group’s new SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) — the same modular architecture that will serve as the basis for, among others, the future electric Volkswagen Golf.

Once it reaches production, this platform is set to replace the current MEB and PPE platforms, which serve as the basis for numerous Volkswagen and Audi models, respectively, as well as Porsche models.

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Production pushed to 2029

According to the official, the future Audi A4 e-tron will not go into production before March 2029. This represents a delay of at least nine months from the originally planned date. As reported by the German newspaper Handelsblatt, this date may still be adjusted further and pushed to late spring 2029.

According to rumors, the delays are due to a technical change decided upon during development. Volkswagen Group management opted to alter the onboard electrical system, switching from the standard 12 V to a 48 V system.

This modification, though seemingly minor, triggered a «domino effect» across the entire development of the platform and its components, forcing reconfiguration with dozens of suppliers and adding months of work that were not initially planned.

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More «victims»

The Audi A4 e-tron is not the only “victim” of this delay. Volkswagen Golf joins it, with its next generation being 100% electric and also based on the new SSP platform.

Due to this delay, future models built on SSP are likely to see the light of day only by the end of the decade. Until then, models based on the current MEB and PPE platforms will have to extend their lifespans for longer.