Неймовірно, але саме електромобіль став найпопулярнішою моделлю Audi в Америці за минулий квартал

Audi sells no fewer than 18 different models in the United States, and among them, it was an unexpected contender that claimed the sales crown through the third quarter. Outpacing long-time favorites like the Q5 and Q3, the spotlight landed on the electric Q6 e-tron.However, that an EV managed to outpace Audi’s long-standing ICE models says less about sudden enthusiasm for electrification and more about the terrible year its combustion lineup has faced that was compounded by buyers rushing to make the most of federal EV incentives before they vanished.Numbers Behind the SurgeOver the past three months, Audi sold 10,059 Q6 e-trons across the US. This represents a 22,761 percent increase over the third quarter of last year, although that’s somewhat irrelevant, as deliveries hadn’t started in earnest in 2024. Year-to-date, a total of 17,021 Q6 e-trons have been sold.Read: Audi’s Electrifying Crossover Coupe Arrives With A 509 HP Range-TopperThe reason for the surge in demand is quite simple. The $7,500 federal EV tax credit is no longer available, leading to a rush of shoppers who wanted to benefit from it before it was discontinued. Interestingly, the Q6 e-tron wasn’t eligible for the tax credit when purchased upfront, but customers could receive it when leasing. While Audi hasn’t disclosed how many of the Q6 e-trons it sold in the third quarter were leased, we suspect most of them fell in that category. With sales of the electric SUV climbing into five figures, the Q6 e-tron edged past the Q5, Audi’s traditional sales leader. In the third quarter, the compact SUV recorded 9,719 units, bringing its year-to-date total to 32,633. It still holds the top spot overall, but that position comes with a caveat: sales are down 17 percent compared with 2024. Looking at just the third quarter, the drop was even sharper, falling 34 percent from the 14,677 sold in the same period last year.The Q3 was next in line during July through September, logging 5,597 units, a huge 25 percent dip year-over-year. Behind it came the Q7 with 4,281 sold, which marked a steep 24 percent decline compared with the same period in 2024. Even so, its year-to-date tally of 14,256 is actually 5 percent higher than last year’s, showing that while the third quarter dragged, the bigger picture looks better.The electric Q4 e-tron also carved out its own space in the lineup. Sales rose 32 percent in the third quarter to 2,956 units, although its year-to-date total of 5,194 remains slightly behind last year’s pace.Sales of virtually all other Audi models fell last quarter. These included the A5 (-34 percent), A6 (-41 percent), A7 (-2 percent), and Q8 (-22 percent). Demand also fell for some of Audi’s EVs, including the e-tron GT (-3 percent), Q8 e-tron (-98 percent), and the Q8 Sportback e-tron (-96 percent).The Bigger PictureLooking at the totals, Audi sold 46,758 vehicles in the third quarter, practically as many as it delivered a year earlier (46,752). Year-to-date, the brand has moved 128,709 cars and SUVs in the US, which is 8 percent fewer than in 2024.Additional reporting by John Halas