Audi’s electric A4 return has been pushed back again. Production of the A4 E-Tron will begin no earlier than March 2029, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said, roughly nine months later than the mid-2028 target he set in October 2025.

The delay is tied to technical problems with Volkswagen Group’s Scalable Systems Platform, or SSP. Insiders cited by Handelsblatt say the production start could slip again, potentially moving to late April or early May 2029.

Audi A4 E-Tron timeline

Döllner characterizes the change as normal development friction rather than a rethink of the vehicle. The A4 E-Tron remains planned as both a saloon and an Avant, with styling influenced by the Audi Concept C. It is also still expected to be among the first Audi vehicles built on the company’s next-generation electric platform.

The A4 nameplate only recently returned to Audi’s future product plans. The combustion-powered A4 ended production in 2024 and was replaced by the new A5. Döllner had previously said the electric A4 would arrive by 2028 at the absolute earliest, making the latest timing the second consecutive delay for the model.

Why Volkswagen’s SSP platform is delayed

According to Handelsblatt, one major source of the delay is Volkswagen Group’s decision to change SSP’s onboard electrical system from the standard 12-volt setup to a 48-volt system after development was already underway. The change affected engineering work across the Group and its suppliers, adding months to the program.

Volkswagen announced SSP in July 2021 as the eventual successor to both the MEB architecture used by vehicles such as the Q4 E-Tron and the 800-volt PPE platform found in the A6 E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron. Five years after its announcement, SSP has not yet entered production.

Against the latest spring 2029 timing, the platform’s launch is approximately three years behind Volkswagen’s original 2026 target. Volkswagen has also reduced SSP’s planned scope from eight variants to four, describing the move as a strategic consolidation.

What the delay means for Audi EVs

The A4 E-Tron is not the only vehicle affected. The electric Golf and electric T-Roc could be delayed into 2030, while Volkswagen Group models using technology from its US partner Rivian are now expected only “from the end of the decade.”

For Audi, the delay means its existing MEB- and PPE-based electric vehicles will remain central to the lineup for longer than planned. Buyers looking for an electric mid-size Audi will therefore continue shopping the current electric range while the A4 E-Tron and SSP wait for production.