As polarizing as it is, Tesla has a great merit in the whole dynamics that sit behind the current wave of electric cars reaching the market. In simple words, Elon Musk’s company acted as the spark that ignited the trend.

Sure, some external factors such as Dieselgate only added more momentum to the EV movement, but credit must be given to Tesla nonetheless. From that point of view, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Audi is hot on the trails of Tesla as it looks to “catch up” with the electric car maker.

What does “catch up” mean, exactly, in this context?

Essentially, Audi is cranking its electrification efforts up a notch (or two) with the intention of developing and building a “next-generation electric car.”

According to Carscoops, VW Chairman Dr. Herbert Diess was adamant during the company’s annual general meeting that Audi “has started the race to catch up with Tesla.”

How? By forming a small team of specialists who would work on the said upcoming EV.

In addition, the carmaker is working with Car.Software.Org, which has the task of coming up with the necessary software.

The same outlet reports that this new electric vehicle will use the upcoming VW.OS operating system, which will eventually trickle down into other VW Group products.

What is the Artemis Project?

The Artemis Project is the high-tech program that will support the R&D process of Audi’s new electric car. It will be led by Alex Hitzinger, currently in charge of VW’s autonomous driving division, who also aided with Porsche’s successful LMP1 campaign at Le Mans between 2015 and 2017 from the position of technical director.

Headquartered in Ingolstadt, Project Artemis will likely oversee and handle the development of other Audi electric cars in the future. After all, the VW Group is planning to build no fewer than 75 electric cars by 2029.

Here’s what Audi says the Artemis Project will be:

"Artemis will focus on new technologies for electric, highly automated driving with a specific model reference. Its first task is to create a highly efficient electric car that is scheduled to be on the road as early as 2024. The creative team will also develop an extensive ecosystem around the car, thus designing a new business model for the entire usage phase."