It’s no secret that Audi->ke14 has been performing quite well lately. Despite all the setbacks, the brand delivered a total of 1.8 million cars last year and now aims to do even better this year. So far, between January and April, the brand sold 620,100 Audi models, representing an increase of 4.9 percent over the previous year. To keep things going at such a strong pace, Audi is on a mission to launch new or upgraded models as quickly as possible. These models include the next Audi A8,->ke1089 the Audi Q7 e-Tron Quattro, and a new all-electric SUV.

All three models I’ve mentioned are a pretty big deal for the four rings, but each one represents a benchmark for the brand. The Audi A8 will be the first production model from Audi that is capable of piloted driving at up to 37 mph with what Audi is calling “traffic-jam pilot.” So, the A8 will help the brand transition from partial to highly automated driving, with the expectation of fully automated driving->ke5282 by 2025.

Moving onto Audi’s electrification strategy, there are two big things coming our way. First is the Audi Q7 e-Tron Quattro. It will be the brand's second plug-in hybrid->ke4486 and is said to achieve better than 117 mpg on the U.S. scale or two liters per 100 km on the European scale. Furthermore, it will be capable of all-electric->ke1030 travel for up to 56 km, or about 35 miles. More importantly, however, is the all-electric SUV->ke145 that will launch in 2018. It will be Audi’s first fully electric large-series vehicle and, according to Audi, will have a range of 310 miles. It will be produced in Brussels along with the batteries that will power it.

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Why it matters

The whole “vehicle electrification” thing isn’t going away, and Audi is planning to launch at least one electrified vehicle each year, starting with the unnamed, all-electric SUV in 2018. What I don’t understand is if, within the next two years, Audi can produce an all-electric SUV with a range of more than 300 miles, then why is the new Q7 e-Tron going to have such a small battery that it can only go 35 miles at most? It seems to me like manufacturers are purposely holding back on the electric capability of these plug-in hybrid vehicles. Obviously, the technology is there, so why not put it to good use? Either way, it looks like Audi is going to be busy for the rest of the year trying to hit that goal of 20 new or redesigned vehicles.

Audi A8

Read our full review on the Audi A8 here.