Photo: Audi
Audi's future development plans call for a new electric model to be introduced every year beginning in 2018. The so-called Q6 will be the flagship, but the German automaker is also thinking small.
Over two years ago, I wrote a piece about how and why Audi needed to make the Q3 e-tron with the same powertrain as the A3 e-tron and the Golf GTE. Now that MINI has a plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman, I bet Audi wishes they'd listen.
But even if they wanted to, the engineers couldn't actually install the 1.4 TSI + electric combo without some serious gymnastics. You see, the Q3 is based on the PQ35 platform, the same as the Jetta and Beetle. An all-new model is planned for 2018, most likely delayed by all the extra homework engineers got due to Dieselgate.
Auto Express magazine believes Audi wants to catch up in a big way, offering a plug-in hybrid with the 1.4-liter turbo at its core, followed by an EV. The latter would be powered by something similar to the e-Golf facelift.
Not only does that mean a slight increase in power to 134 horsepower and 290 Nm (214 lb-ft) of torque, but also a new 35.8 kWh battery pack.
We wouldn't be so inclined to call the Q3 II lighter than before because the main way in which the Golf shed weight is by losing its independent suspension. But there's no question that a larger, more practical and technologically advanced car awaits us.
Previous reports have hinted the 2.0 TFSI and 2.5 TFSI will play critical roles, the latter being expected to fit a 340 hp SQ3 model. Even if this turns out to unfounded speculation, the Q3 will eventually go fully electric, offsetting emissions and challenging the EV crossovers planned by Mercedes or MINI. The only question is: what are they going to call them?
But even if they wanted to, the engineers couldn't actually install the 1.4 TSI + electric combo without some serious gymnastics. You see, the Q3 is based on the PQ35 platform, the same as the Jetta and Beetle. An all-new model is planned for 2018, most likely delayed by all the extra homework engineers got due to Dieselgate.
Auto Express magazine believes Audi wants to catch up in a big way, offering a plug-in hybrid with the 1.4-liter turbo at its core, followed by an EV. The latter would be powered by something similar to the e-Golf facelift.
Not only does that mean a slight increase in power to 134 horsepower and 290 Nm (214 lb-ft) of torque, but also a new 35.8 kWh battery pack.
We wouldn't be so inclined to call the Q3 II lighter than before because the main way in which the Golf shed weight is by losing its independent suspension. But there's no question that a larger, more practical and technologically advanced car awaits us.
Previous reports have hinted the 2.0 TFSI and 2.5 TFSI will play critical roles, the latter being expected to fit a 340 hp SQ3 model. Even if this turns out to unfounded speculation, the Q3 will eventually go fully electric, offsetting emissions and challenging the EV crossovers planned by Mercedes or MINI. The only question is: what are they going to call them?
Google News