The Audi Q2 is the German automaker's smallest compact SUV. Placed below the Q3, the Q2 with its crossover like design was launched last year with good responses especially from growing markets like China. And to appease the Chinese auto buyer even further, Audi has recently announced plans to launch a longer wheelbase version of the Q2 specially for the China domestic market. To make it an even more interesting proposition though, Audi seems to be preparing an all electric version of the long wheel base Q2 to be sold specifically in China. China is the largest electric car market in the world and last year sold over 3.86 lakh units witnessing a 50 per cent growth over the year before!
In a heavy push towards greener vehicle production and reduced emissions, the Chinese government has banned the production of 553 cars, mainly sedans for failure to meet a certain pre-described fuel economy figure. The announcement was made by the China Vehicle Technology Service Centre and includes cars from several global automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, General Motors and Volkswagen. The list also includes cars that do not meet certain new emissions standards that have been recently prescribed for cars in China. The list of banned cars has not been completely revealed though, although most on the list are said to be of the sedan body style. The ban on production has come into effect on January 1, 2018. Incidentally, in 2017, the sale of electric vehicles in China has grown by over 50 per cent to over 3.36 lakh units a year and is expected to grow even further this year.
The electric car is here! And for the first time in automotive history, the demand for electric cars far outnumbers the supply for them. The Tesla Model 3 is the perfect example of this with hundreds of thousands of orders still pending and eager customers waiting for their brand new cars to be delivered. And another example is the very competent Volkswagen e-Golf. In fact, such is the demand for the electric hatchback that Volkswagen have announced that they will double the production soon. The e-Golf is currently made at Volkswagen's state of the art and self sustained 'glass factory' in Dresden.
The upcoming Volkswagen Touareg has been spied once again showcasing the new design language that Volkswagen has adopted (starting with the Arteon). According to a recent announcement by Volkswagen, the new SUV is slated for a global unveil in the next few months, possibly at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show in April. The new Touareg will be much larger than its predecessor and will get 7 seats along with a whole new design language that makes it much nicer looking than its predecessors. The new Touareg might not however make it to India considering the fact that previous generations have never really managed to make much of an impression on the Indian audiences despite being great vehicles.
Toyota Kirloksar Motor Vice-Chairman said consumers should be given freedom to make a logical choice, and manufacturers enough leeway so that they can produce what the consumer wants.
