Photo: Audi
Forget the A3 e-tron. Or the A6 e-tron and Q7 e-tron. Audi has bigger plans for the future of plug-in hybrid vehicles, and come 2019, the Q5 e-tron will lead the charge [pun intended] with “20 to 30 percent more zero-emission range.”
Those are the words of Siegfried Pint, powertrain director at Audi, who’s referring to an improvement over the current generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles in the four-ringed automaker’s lineup.
From the 50 kilometers of today, the target for tomorrow is 60, maybe 65 kilometers (37 to 40 miles) if the car is sufficiently aerodynamic and light on its feet. Autocar.co.uk goes even further, guesstimating up to 42 miles (68 kilometers).
Pint has “confirmed that an A6 e-tron would follow, and the Q3 e-tron is also expected.” No less than ten plug-in hybrids are to be launched by 2025 by Audi, to which the automaker will add no less than ten electric vehicles. The e-tron SUV is the first of the latter family, good for 400 kilometers (248 miles) in the WLTP driving cycle.
Spied in the United States of America, the Q5 e-tron will combine an electric motor mounted onto (or into) the seven-speed automatic transmission and the EA888. The electric drive unit is expected to develop 110 PS (108 horsepower) and 300 Nm (221 pound-feet). The 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, on the other hand, is good for 190 PS (188 horsepower) and 320 Nm (236 pound-feet) in this particular application.
For packaging and cost-cutting reasons, the electric motor will drive the rear wheels while the internal combustion engine will handle front-axle propulsion. “No major changes are expected for the rest of the car over other Q5s, meaning it’ll retain electromechanical steering and Dynamic suspension.”
The Q5 is now in its second generation, riding on the MLB Evo platform. The cheapest configuration available in the United States is the Premium trim level with the 252-horsepower engine, kicking off at $41,500. Over in Germany, prepare to pony up €46,000 at the very least.
From the 50 kilometers of today, the target for tomorrow is 60, maybe 65 kilometers (37 to 40 miles) if the car is sufficiently aerodynamic and light on its feet. Autocar.co.uk goes even further, guesstimating up to 42 miles (68 kilometers).
Pint has “confirmed that an A6 e-tron would follow, and the Q3 e-tron is also expected.” No less than ten plug-in hybrids are to be launched by 2025 by Audi, to which the automaker will add no less than ten electric vehicles. The e-tron SUV is the first of the latter family, good for 400 kilometers (248 miles) in the WLTP driving cycle.
Spied in the United States of America, the Q5 e-tron will combine an electric motor mounted onto (or into) the seven-speed automatic transmission and the EA888. The electric drive unit is expected to develop 110 PS (108 horsepower) and 300 Nm (221 pound-feet). The 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, on the other hand, is good for 190 PS (188 horsepower) and 320 Nm (236 pound-feet) in this particular application.
For packaging and cost-cutting reasons, the electric motor will drive the rear wheels while the internal combustion engine will handle front-axle propulsion. “No major changes are expected for the rest of the car over other Q5s, meaning it’ll retain electromechanical steering and Dynamic suspension.”
The Q5 is now in its second generation, riding on the MLB Evo platform. The cheapest configuration available in the United States is the Premium trim level with the 252-horsepower engine, kicking off at $41,500. Over in Germany, prepare to pony up €46,000 at the very least.
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