Rupert Stadler

Rupert Stadler, the former Audi CEO who was arrested earlier this year for his alleged role in the Dieselgate emissions cheating affair, has been removed from the boards of both Audi and its parent the Volkswagen Group. In a statement released on the first day of the Paris motor show, the automaker announced Stadler had terminated his contract with "immediate effect" meaning he will "no longer work for the Volkswagen Group".

Audi has delayed the reveal of its new e-tron quattro SUV following the arrest of CEO Rupert Stadler last week, with the Audi Summit event scheduled for August 30 cancelled. The Financial Times (subscription required) reports the reveal will now take place in the United States sometime later in the year. Electric vehicle blog Electrek says it received an invite earlier this month to an event in San Francisco on September 17, although that could just be an American-market launch event.

Audi is planning to put a small autonomous Aicon fleet into production, likely as part of a pilot program surrounding the on-board artificial intelligence (AI) and self-driving technology. Initially launched as a concept in 2017, it seemed like the Aicon – and Elaine revealed alongside – were simply technology showcases, a way to show the world what to expect from autonomous Audi production cars, when they finally launch.

Talk about busy - Audi will launch new versions of its large A6, A7, A8 models, as well as a new Q3 small SUV and baby A1 hatchback, all by the end of this year. The German luxury car maker made its plans public at the 2017 Geneva motor show, where Audi chairman of the board Rupert Stadler said the brand detailed the expansive model range revamp.

The coming of a new 2016 Audi Q2 has been announcing this week, at last confirming reports that the carmaker has overcome an earlier trademark issue. Speaking on the company’s upcoming investment plans, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler also confirmed a debut this year for the new 2016 Audi Q5 mid-sized SUV.