The carparazzi have recently spied the facelifted e-tron GT in two flavors and in two different locations: e-tron GT in Sweden and RS e-tron GT in Germany. Zooming in on the wheels of the Rennsport prototype, you'll notice a set of red brake calipers thar read Porsche rather than Audi Carbid.
Carbid is the four-ringed automaker's way of saying Porsche Surface Coated Brakes. The PSCB brake system features cast-iron rotors with a ceramic coating. It shouldn't be confused with carbon-ceramic brakes. Instead, these brakes are slotted between regular brakes and track-oriented carbon ceramics.
As you can tell from the pics in the gallery, Audi didn't bother camouflaging anything other than the bumpers and skirts. Both the e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT feature restyled bumpers, with the front assembly being particularly different from the 2024 model. Coming to a dealership near you for the 2025 model year, the facelift should also get revised headlights and taillights, because why wouldn't it?
Porsche did exactly that to the Taycan, which shares the J1 platform with the e-tron GT. The J1 is derived from the MSB of the Panamera, Bentley Continental GT, and Flying Spur. Thus far, the Audi brand hasn't launched any MSB-based automobile.
With drive unit and high-voltage battery tech getting better at such a rapid pace, you shouldn't be surprised when Audi confirms better acceleration times and a tad more driving range from the facelifted e-tron GT. You can also look forward to an uprated chassis and suspension for improved ride comfort and greater performance in the corners.
Photo: SH Proshots
To understand what's on the horizon for the 2025 model year e-tron GT, you need to glance over the press release for the 2025 model year Taycan. The bullet points are 400 kW instead of 290 kW for maximum recuperation capacity during deceleration from high speeds, 105 kilowatt hours for the largest battery available instead of the former 93 kilowatt hours, 18 minutes from 10 to 80 percent charge under ideal conditions, up to 938 horsepower, and 2.3 seconds to 60 mph (97 kph).
That's 0.6 seconds quicker than before for the Taycan Turbo S, which isn't the fastest Taycan there is. Last month, a pre-series Taycan Turbo GT lapped the Nurburgring in 7:07.55, which is 26 clicks better than the pre-facelift Taycan Turbo S. The yet-to-be-revealed Turbo GT is believed to feature three motors instead of two, but it's not the Volkswagen Group's first three-motor EV. That title went to the Audi e-tron S.
As opposed to the Taycan, which can be had with a single motor, the e-tron GT sports a dual-motor setup by default. Audi dubs it quattro, adding to the confusion created by the existing quattro systems. There's Haldex-type quattro, followed by a twin-clutch rear axle dubbed R-Performance Torque Vectoring or RS Torque Splitter. The list continues with Torsen-type quattro for longitudinally-mounted engines, along with the Haldex-ish quattro ultra. Finally, the recently discontinued R8 boasts an electrohydraulic coupling as opposed to the mechanical fluid coupling of the first gen.
Similar to the Taycan, the e-tron GT sweetens the deal with a rear-mounted transmission. The box in question comprises a short first gear for maximum acceleration and a longer second gear for improved efficiency and a higher maximum speed.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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