Tesla Model Y Rival Audi E-Tron Reportedly Suffers Delays; Customers Fined For Canceling

Audi is currently having difficulties in delivering its E-Tron vehicles to its customers. On the other end, Norwegian customers are also having problems with canceling their orders as the company charges payment for it. Here’s what we know about the Tesla Model Y’s rival’s problems.

According to Teslarati, Audi is currently having problems with delivering their E-Tron electric SUVs as customers noticed delays in the delivery. Additionally, customers also discovered that they can’t easily cancel pre-orders as they’ll have to pay a fine. Audi’s current position is going to be more unfavorable if they can’t deliver those vehicles soon.

On Audi’s end, the company has reportedly been having problems with the SUV’s batteries from LG Chem. Moreover, Audi’s E-Tron production factories only work six hours a day, according to Brussels Times' anonymous sources. Lastly, another internal issue which has contributed to the delay is the workers’ strike that affected most of the company’s workforce.

The delays are reportedly turning the customers off, encouraging some of them to cancel their orders. The deliveries for some Norwegian customers already have a six-month waiting time despite the fact that the pre-order offer just started and the vehicle's production is still ongoing.

Due to the long wait time, the Tesla Model Y and other electric SUV releases may start coming out before E-Tron as they've been scheduled for release in late 2019.

A solution from Audi itself can be done to prevent the long waiting time. Interested customers can buy the “Fast Track” variant to get the E-Tron sooner. However, this version costs around NOK 840,000 ($95,000) compared to the regular price of NOK 650,000 ($74,000.)

Canceling the order also costs around $6,800 if the prospective buyer wants to back out as the move is considered a breach of contract under its terms. Due to this situation, many customers who’ve already pre-ordered have no choice but to wait for Audi to deliver the vehicle to them.

The battery problems that Audi has been facing are also noted to be similar to Tesla’s early problems in making the Model 3. Even though Audi has been around for much longer than Tesla, the delay could be a testament that even veteran companies can have difficulties when facing newer frontiers such as electric car development and production. Tesla also has its own electric SUV, the Model Y, that’ll have its first variants later this year.

For now, we’ll have to wait for further announcements regarding how Audi will handle this issue