Audi considers first US production plant so its EVs qualify for tax credits
German automaker and VW Group subsidiary Audi is flirting with the idea of implementing EV production on US soil, so its vehicles can once again qualify for federal tax credits under new terms outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act. Audi CEO Markus Duesmann recently shared a couple of possibilities Audi is considering in a potential move to the states.
Audi’s e-tron lineup of electric vehicles has long held a comfortable position as one of the most diverse in the industry. It has continued to expand since its initial launch in 2018. We have since seen an e-tron GT, e-tron S, and Q4 e-tron, to name a few, plus several additional models in the works – not to mention Audi’s growing conceptual lineup of über-innovative EV designs.
Alongside PHEV versions of some vehicles, some Audis qualified for federal tax credits… that is until President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act last summer, laying out much stricter qualification terms that were more beneficial to US supply chains.
Those terms kicked in on January 1, 2023, and as a result, only one new Audi EV purchase currently qualifies for federal tax credits, and it’s a plug-in. Last fall, we first covered word that Audi was considering its first-ever production footprint in the US in order to play ball with the IRA terms.
At the time, Chief Technical Officer Oliver Hoffman anticipated the IRA would have a “huge impact” on Audi’s North American strategy and that the German automaker was, in fact, considering building its first US EV production facility, adding a decision could come in 2023.
Most recently, Audi’s CEO has shared a similar sentiment and even thrown out an additional business pivot that would bring Audi EV production to the US more quickly.
Audi could begin US EV production sooner with VW Group
During a recent interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said that the stricter terms in place under the new Inflation Reduction Act have made the prospect of implementing EV production in the US “very attractive.” Automotive News Europe later confirmed these comments.
While the company’s CTO originally said Audi executives were mulling a new EV facility in the States, Duesmann relayed that it is merely one option being considered. Another option is to collaborate with its parent company Volkswagen Group, which already has production footprints in the US and is working to erect more.
Earlier today, we covered news that Volkswagen’s reborn Scout brand of EVs will be built in the United States at a new pending factory. The exact location is yet to be determined, but Automobilwoche, which reported the news, stated the new US facility will also be used for Audi EV production. According to the Audi CEO, however, a decision has not yet been made:
Both are possible. But the probability that we do it within the group is high.
High probability, indeed. It simply makes more sense. Being part of a major automotive conglomerate like Volkswagen Group does have its advantages. In addition to being assembled in North America, Audi’s EVs must acquire and assemble a majority of battery materials on the continent or through a free-trade partner. However, those terms in the IRA are currently not being enforced until the US Dept. of Treasury shares its battery guidance, expected sometime next month.
Volkswagen Group currently has ID.4 EV assembly in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and two plants in Mexico; it is in the process of revamping to build EV motors and other components by 2025. The Group has already inked deals in Canada for local battery materials as well. Audi, too, has a production footprint in Mexico, where it builds the Q5.
This will certainly be a story to keep an eye on as US EV production from Audi feels imminent.
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Trump’s Interior Department halted construction on 704 megawatt (MW) Revolution Wind, the US’s first multi-state offshore wind project that’s already 80% complete. Grid operator ISO New England says the decision is a threat to the grid.
ISO New England released a statement responding to the stop-work order, warning that “delaying the project will increase risks to reliability.”:
As demand for electricity grows, New England must maintain and add to its energy infrastructure. Unpredictable risks and threats to resources – regardless of technology – that have made significant capital investments, secured necessary permits, and are close to completion will stifle future investments, increase costs to consumers, and undermine the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy now and in the future.
Revolution Wind, a joint development between Ørsted and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, is a 65-turbine project capable of powering around 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut once it’s complete. It was expected to come online next year. The project has created more than 1,200 jobs.
On August 22, the director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management sent a vague letter to Ørsted commanding it to halt all activities on the fully permitted Revolution Wind, citing “national security interests,” yet providing no details.
BOEM’s Record of Decision for Revolution Wind, reported in 2023 in Section 4.6, page 185, states that the national security effects of the project would be “negligible and avoidable.”
This latest move echoes Trump’s cancellation in April of New York’s $5 billion Empire Wind 1 project, which was already under construction off New York’s coast. No viable reasons were given for that stop-work order either, and the cancellation was reversed in May.
Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), released the following statement in response to the Revolution Wind order:
The Trump administration’s war on the electricity needed to power the grid continues on all fronts. Halting Revolution Wind is a devastating attack on workers, on electricity customers, and on the investment climate in the US.
New England homeowners will feel this when they tear open their electricity bills and look at the surging costs of keeping the lights on.
This administration has it exactly backwards. It’s trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power.
It makes no sense to say we have an energy emergency and then make decisions like this. Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided actions.
Read more: Trump reversal revives Empire Wind, NY’s offshore energy giant
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Tesla is teasing a new product release on Friday, August 29th, coming to Europe and the Middle East. It’s likely going to be the Model Y Performance.
On X today, Tesla has teased an upcoming product release coming this friday.
The post is cryptic. It only mentions ‘spoiler alert’ and the date August 29 with what looks like a close up of a vehicle with what appears to be a spoil – hence the “spoiler alert” reference:
There are main suspect is the Model Y Performance due to the spoiler reference.
Since the Model Y refresh in January, Tesla stopped selling the Model Y Performance. It is due to launch the top performance version under the new design.
When Tesla released the Model 3 refresh in 2024, it took about 4 months for Tesla to launch the new performance version.
Electrek’s Take
The only thing that I find strange with this likely being the Model Y Performance is the fact that they tweeted this from the Europe and Middle East account.
It would be strange for the Model Y Performance to launch there first, but who knows. Maybe Tesla started production at Gigafactory Berlin first.
I don’t think this will have a major impact on Tesla’s business. The Model Y Performance is the least popular version of the best-selling Model Y.
We don’t have the full mix of sales, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it represents less than 10% of Tesla’s Model Y deliveries.
The Model 3 Performance is probably a more popular option within the Model 3 lineup as it is a lot more fun to drive.
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![Genesis GV60 Magma EV sheds camo, revealing a radical new look [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/Genesis-GV60-Magma-EV-2.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The GV60 Magma will have a distinct look and feel compared to other Genesis vehicles. As the first EV from its new performance sub-brand, the Genesis GV60 Magma will debut with enhanced power, advanced suspension, a sporty new design, and more. For the first time, it was caught on video racing around the Nürburgring, giving us our closest look yet.
Genesis GV60 Magma EV flexes new style at Nürburgring
We got our first look at the new Magma models last March at the NY Auto Show alongside the full-size Neolun concept.
Magma is “the brand’s expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles,” Genesis boasted. Among the first vehicles to earn a Magma upgrade is the GV60.
Genesis fine-tuned the electric crossover SUV, giving it a wider and lower stance for improved control. The larger lower air intake contributes to the aggressive new look, while also serving to cool the batteries and motor, both of which have been upgraded for enhanced performance.
Earlier this year, we got a good look at the GV60 Magma during winter testing in Europe. Although you could see a few new design features, it was mostly covered in camo.
After it was recently spotted with less camo at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, we are getting an even better idea of what to expect when it arrives.
The video from CarSpyMedia shows the Genesis GV60 Magma EV with a production body and minimal camouflage.
You can see the high-performance vehicle flexing its power and handling as it rips around the track. Like other Hyundai Motor performance EVs, including the new IONIQ 6 N, you can expect the Genesis GV60 Magma to deliver over 600 horsepower, if not closer to 700.
The current Genesis GV60 Performance delivers up to 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds.
| Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph (seconds) |
Starting Price | |
| Genesis GV60 Performance | 429 | 3.7 | $69,900 |
| Genesis GV60 Magma | ? | ? | ? |
| Porsche Taycan | 402 | 4.5 | $99,400 |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (with Weissach Package) |
1,092 | 2.1 | $230,000 |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | 1,020 | 1.99 | $89,990 |
Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma EV later this year in Korea, followed by the US, Europe, and other global markets. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but given the Performance models start at $69,900, you can expect a higher starting price tag, likely closer to $75,000.
At that it would be significantly less than the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Tesla Model S Plaid. Will it match the performance?
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