Audi showcased the almost production-ready prototype of the e-tron SUV at the Geneva stage. The e-tron is the first fully electric vehicle from the Four Rings and is priced at 80,000 Euros in Germany (approx. Rs 65 lakhs). Audi has already received 3,700 reservations from Norway alone for the e-tron.
The production spec e-tron will be showcased in Brussels later this year before going on sale in 2019. At this year’s Geneva, we saw the e-tron still wearing the camouflage. Audi claims to have completed extreme condition testing across the globe on almost 250 development vehicles before revealing the e-tron show car. We now know that powering the electric SUV is a 15kW battery with fast charging feature. The exact range or power output is yet to be divulged but we know it boasts of a quattro all-wheel-drive system. There are rumours of a 500 kilometres range via two electric motors on each axle.
The battery pack will sit where Audi has used contrasting orange and black colour on the camouflaged prototype. It is “mimicking the high-voltage grid”, explains Audi. The overall styling is a typical Four Ring with cascading grille, Q3-like headlights, and sleek single strip LED tail lights. The mirrors are sleek camera units but we also saw the conventional ORVMs when the prototype hit the streets of Geneva. There is no glimpse of the inside right now but we are sure to see Audi's Virtual Cockpit and the familiar cabin of the e-tron.
The production version of the Audi e-tron will be joined by 20 other electric and plug-in models from all the segments and concept guises by the end of next decade. When the new e-tron takes on the streets next year it will have an electrified competition from the likes of the already established Tesla Model X, newly launched Jaguar I-Pace and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQC.
