Photo: Audi
If there's one thing we know about the German car companies from the VW Group, it's that they like to develop advanced powertrains and share them between models. They do it for the Golf and A3 and it sounds like, three years from now, they are even going to doit with electric motors and batteries.
After reports that Porsche will have an all-electric version of the Pajun sedan capable of offering a total range of 250 miles (402 km), Audi is now saying it's started work on a premium sedan with very large batteries. The car has even been confirmed by the four-ringed company's development boss Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg.
It's being designed as a premium sedan to rival the Tesla Model S and hopefully emulate its success. Hackenberg told British magazine Auto Express that the tech being developed for the R8 e-tron will be carried over onto a non-sports model likely to debut in 2017. The same magazine claims this car will have a range of around 280 mile (450 km) range.
2017 is roughly the time when Audi will launch a replacement for the current A6 sedan, which just received its mid-life facelift. So could Porsche be borrowing its platform for the Pajun, just like it took the Q5 for the Macan SUV? We think it's possible.
But why is the Audi model suggested to have slightly better range than the Porsche EV? We think it has to do with model differentiation. The electric Pajun is said to have north of 400 horsepower, while Audi has just unveiled an A7-based fuel cell concept that uses hydrogen to power to power two electric motors making a more modest 228 hp.
All we know for sure is these German premium EVs can't get here soon enough. Because until then, Tesla remains a company worth 30 billion dollars that's only likely to grow.
It's being designed as a premium sedan to rival the Tesla Model S and hopefully emulate its success. Hackenberg told British magazine Auto Express that the tech being developed for the R8 e-tron will be carried over onto a non-sports model likely to debut in 2017. The same magazine claims this car will have a range of around 280 mile (450 km) range.
2017 is roughly the time when Audi will launch a replacement for the current A6 sedan, which just received its mid-life facelift. So could Porsche be borrowing its platform for the Pajun, just like it took the Q5 for the Macan SUV? We think it's possible.
But why is the Audi model suggested to have slightly better range than the Porsche EV? We think it has to do with model differentiation. The electric Pajun is said to have north of 400 horsepower, while Audi has just unveiled an A7-based fuel cell concept that uses hydrogen to power to power two electric motors making a more modest 228 hp.
All we know for sure is these German premium EVs can't get here soon enough. Because until then, Tesla remains a company worth 30 billion dollars that's only likely to grow.
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