Audi isn't doing that hot right now. While its premium German rivals are announcing sales records almost every month, the four-ring brand decided to jump the gun a little with the first electric SUV, the e-tron quattro.
It will arrive ahead of the models from BMW or Mercedes. And even though it's an EV, not a race car, Audi is treating it to the same batch of Nurburgring tests as it would any other model. They say that one mile on this track is equivalent to about ten on the road. So if anything is going to go wrong, this is the place for that.
The e-tron quattro's main rival is the Model X, and Tesla fires cause big scandals. The American manufacturer reassures us that its cars are among the safest in the world, but Audi's "German quality" still has a role to play in this market.
Expected to enter production at the Belgium factory pretty soon, the production electric SUV looks quite different to the concept that previewed it several years ago. Gone are the upside down headlight design, replaced by something conventional and quite similar to the upcoming Q3.
Yes, the e-tron will still have a large hexagonal grille, despite not needing air for combustion. The conventional design might not be a good thing for Audi, especially considering how sporty the Jaguar I-Pace rival looks.
Reports suggest the I-Pace and e-tron will be quite evenly matched in terms of performance. Audi will give you one motor for the front wheels and two for the back, resulting in a total output of 435 HP, 35 more than the Jaguar. There's also a performance version planned for later, which will have around 500 electric ponies.
A Sportback body style, sort of like BMW's X4 Sports Activity Coupe, will follow one year after the e-tron. Audi third EV will be sedan-like and possibly cheaper, going up against the Tesla Model 3.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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