Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
After years of being the symbol of recycling the same designs and scaling them to fit each segment, Audi is back on the offensive and, even though the trend has not disappeared completely, the team in charge with the aesthetics in Ingolstadt is at last showing signs of life.
Audi is currently testing several new models out on the streets, with the Q8 flagship SUV probably being the most important of them, but let's not dismiss the brand's electric efforts as it tries to put the whole Dieselgate scandal behind it.
The German company is expected to drop two new EVs over the following months, its first such models developed from the ground up to make use of an electric powertrain. They both carry the e-tron name, of course, but one of them will receive the Sportback monicker, while the other will be called 'quattro.'
The latter of the two is the one showing up in this photos, revealing a body shape that's just too sexy for Audi to use strictly with for an alternative propulsion system. The e-tron quattro looks miles better than the larger Q8 - if anything, it resembles Audi's version of the Porsche Macan. With some minor modifications (like the grille, for example), it would make the perfect Q6, if you ask us - most definitely with an RSQ6 version as well.
The Audi e-tron quattro should be announced sometime during next year, meaning it will likely enter the market as a 2019 model year. The company's next plans for its e-tron range include the smaller Sportback coupe crossover, as well as a rumored sedan to fight it out with Tesla's Model 3, even though it looks like the American EV will have a significant headstart.
They say Audi's electric SUV is going to have a maximum range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) according to the NEDC standard, which means it won't bring any breakthrough in the battery technology. However, Audi needs to move fast as Mercedes-Benz has a similar model planned for its EQ sub-brand around the same time, so it's not just Tesla's Model Y it needs to worry about.
The spy shots show us a compact-sized SUV with plenty of ground clearance and also a squat stance that's more promising for a dynamic handling than off-road abilities. Of course, until they build charging stations in the forests and on top of mountains, off-roading in an electric vehicle remains something completely fictional.
Speaking of charging stations, Audi should make the e-tron quattro capable of draining power from the high-output outlets planned to start spreading over the whole of Europe, meaning it could recharge its battery completely (or at least 80%) in no more than twenty minutes under ideal conditions.
Considering everything we've seen and heard so far, if Audi manages to keep the e-tron quattro's price at a relatively moderate level (for an EV, of course), we don't see any reason why the Ingolstadt electric SUV won't be a success, provided there is an ample number of charging sites as well. Which, unlike Tesla, is not something the German company controls itself.
The German company is expected to drop two new EVs over the following months, its first such models developed from the ground up to make use of an electric powertrain. They both carry the e-tron name, of course, but one of them will receive the Sportback monicker, while the other will be called 'quattro.'
The latter of the two is the one showing up in this photos, revealing a body shape that's just too sexy for Audi to use strictly with for an alternative propulsion system. The e-tron quattro looks miles better than the larger Q8 - if anything, it resembles Audi's version of the Porsche Macan. With some minor modifications (like the grille, for example), it would make the perfect Q6, if you ask us - most definitely with an RSQ6 version as well.
The Audi e-tron quattro should be announced sometime during next year, meaning it will likely enter the market as a 2019 model year. The company's next plans for its e-tron range include the smaller Sportback coupe crossover, as well as a rumored sedan to fight it out with Tesla's Model 3, even though it looks like the American EV will have a significant headstart.
They say Audi's electric SUV is going to have a maximum range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) according to the NEDC standard, which means it won't bring any breakthrough in the battery technology. However, Audi needs to move fast as Mercedes-Benz has a similar model planned for its EQ sub-brand around the same time, so it's not just Tesla's Model Y it needs to worry about.
The spy shots show us a compact-sized SUV with plenty of ground clearance and also a squat stance that's more promising for a dynamic handling than off-road abilities. Of course, until they build charging stations in the forests and on top of mountains, off-roading in an electric vehicle remains something completely fictional.
Speaking of charging stations, Audi should make the e-tron quattro capable of draining power from the high-output outlets planned to start spreading over the whole of Europe, meaning it could recharge its battery completely (or at least 80%) in no more than twenty minutes under ideal conditions.
Considering everything we've seen and heard so far, if Audi manages to keep the e-tron quattro's price at a relatively moderate level (for an EV, of course), we don't see any reason why the Ingolstadt electric SUV won't be a success, provided there is an ample number of charging sites as well. Which, unlike Tesla, is not something the German company controls itself.
Google News