Audi e-tron (electric car)

2024: Q8 e-tron production close

In mid-December 2024, it became known that Audi would stop producing the Q8 e-tron electric crossover by March 2025. The acceptance of orders for this car has been stopped.

Originally introduced as a concept in 2015, Audi's first mass electric car entered the market in 2018. At the start of sales, it was simply called Audi e-tron, and in 2022 it was modernized and renamed Q8 e-tron. The crossover is not built on a special platform for electric vehicles, but on the same platform as a regular Q8 with an internal combustion engine. The declared range on one charge of the battery pack reaches 582 km. The car recuperates energy both when rolling and when braking.

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caranddriver.com

Q8 e-tron sales fell short of expectations. Audi, like other European carmakers, has been hit by weakening demand and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles. In addition, competition from Chinese automotive companies is intensifying. Against this background, Audi decided to curtail production of the Q8 e-tron and modifications of the Q8 Sportback e-tron. This will entail the closure of the Brussels plant and the reduction of approximately 3,000 jobs. Plans for alternative use of the facility as of December 2024 have not been announced.

Against the backdrop of the planned end of production of the Q8 e-tron family of models on February 28, 2025 and the current supplier strikes at the Brussels plant, we have stopped accepting orders for the Q8 e-tron, an Audi spokesman told Auto Express.

The Q8 e-tron is expected to have a successor on the PPE platform in 2026. It is at the heart of the e-tron Q6, as well as the Porsche Macan Electric and the future Bentley electric SUV.^[1]

2021

Presentation of photos of Audi Q4 e-tron electric crossover

In early March 2021, Audi showed photos of the new electric crossover Q4 e-tron. The model, which will be the fourth electric car in the German automaker's lineup, will premiere in April 2021.

Audi Q4 e-tron electric crossover

The Audi Q4 e-tron will be created on the MEB platform, which was developed by Volkswagen specifically for new generation electric vehicles. The length of the new model will be 4590 mm, and the wheelbase will be 2760 mm. The luggage compartment of the Audi Q4 e-tron will be 520 liters, with the rear seats folded, the space can be increased to 1490 liters.

Audi Q4 e-tron will be created on the MEB platform

Two large displays will be installed in the cabin of the new crossover: a 10.25-inch virtual dashboard and a multimedia system (MMI) screen, the diagonal of which reaches 10.1 inches (1540 × 720) and 10.6 inches (1764 × 824). The car's infotainment complex received Audi's proprietary voice assistant (activated by the phrase Hey Audi, understands such issues as "tell your nearest charge"), as well as provide access to digital radio.

Audi Q4 e-tron features 70-inch head-up display

Audi Q4 e-tron will receive a 70-inch projection display, thanks to which navigator prompts in the form of graphic pointers (augmented reality implementation) will be displayed on the car windshield in real time. The AR Creator system with the help of lighting will be able to point the driver to the surrounding cars and various road infrastructure, taking into account the speed and vertical vibrations of the body. The technology can create the effect of approaching, moving away and positioning prompts.

It is assumed that the Q4 e-tron will be equipped with a twin-engine electric installation with 306 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a 77kVt⋅ch battery. From the place to 100 km/h, the car will accelerate in 6.3 seconds, the maximum speed will be 180 km/h, and the range is about 450 km.^[2]

E-Tron GT electric sedan announcement

In mid-February 2021, Audi introduced the first "charged" E-Tron GT electric sedan in its lineup. The car will appear in Europe in the spring of 2021 and will cost from 99,800 euros, and the top version of RS - from 138,200 euros.

The total power output of the standard E-Tron GT can be 350 kW or about 470 horsepower, and the RS version can have 440 kW, or about 590 horsepower. In overboost mode, these values ​ ​ grow to 522 and 637 horsepower, respectively. Thanks to special acceleration and launch control, the E-Tron GT can accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.1 seconds, and the RS version in 3.3 seconds. The range on a single battery charge will be about 400 kilometers. In addition, the sedan will be equipped with three-chamber pneumatic springs with several modes that can affect ground clearance, as well as carbon-ceramic brake discs.

Audi introduced the first "charged" E-Tron GT electric sedan

Both models achieve this performance thanks to a two-engine all-wheel drive unit powered by a 93.4 kW battery (with a usable energy of 85 kW). The battery pack also uses a special technology that allows the GT not only to operate at huge capacities, but also to charge quickly. Audi claims that in just five minutes of charging, the electric sedan can get a range of 100km, provided it is connected to a high-speed charging network such as the Volkswagen Electrify America.

To cope with the high performance of the model, the electric car is equipped with complex temperature control technology. The dual-circuit cooling system will allow you to control the temperature of the battery, as well as service electric motors and power electronics. At the same time, this system will work with navigation and will allow you to optimally adjust the battery temperature before charging 30 minutes before arriving at the charging station.^[3]

2019: Audi e-tron Sportback announcement

On November 20, 2019, Audi introduced the e-tron Sportback electric coupe crossover. It is known that it will appear on the Russian market.

The novelty was the first among production cars equipped with matrix headlights with a micro-mirror system. With the help of elektro­staticheskikh fields, almost a million reflecting elements (each has a size of only a few hundredths of a millimeter) can change position up to 5 thousand times per second, allowing you to very accurately reguli­rovat the light beam and even proyetsiro­vat various images or animations to the road or walls, for example, the name of the model.

Audi introduced an electric coupe-crossover e-tron Sportback

The electric car will be offered on the market in two versions - Audi e-tron Sportback 50 quattro and Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro. The basic version of the model is driven by two electric motors, which give a total of 313 hp of power and 540 Nm of torque.

The more expensive modification has electric motors producing 360 hp. and 561 Nm, respectively. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds faster than the base version. In both cases, the maximum driving speed is limited to 200 km/h.

The range is declared at 446 km. The quattro electric four-wheel drive uses the motor on the front axle if necessary. Recovery returns up to 70% of the energy to the battery.

The Sportback version differs from the standard Audi e-tron electric crossover in a more aerodynamic body - the drag coefficient was 0.25 versus 0.27. This affected the range of the car, which grew by an extra 10 km.

The start of sales of Audi e-tron Sportback in the European market is scheduled for spring 2020. In Russia, an electric car will appear in the first half of the same year. Its cost by November 20, 2019 is known only in Europe - 71,350 euros (more than 5 million rubles).^[4]

2018

Delayed sales due to software error

On October 21, 2018, Audi announced the postponement of its first electric crossover due to a software glitch.

The e-tron electric car will Reuters reach dealers four weeks later than planned, the news agency reported, citing an Audi spokesman. The German the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, citing sources in the German company, writes that the delay could reach several months.

Audi told reporters that the reason for the delay was caused by a problem found in the car's electronics software. The defect has been fixed, but now this must be checked by the regulatory authorities, since during the rework  the version of the software has changed, which has received undocumented features and functions. The nature of the malfunction is not specified.

Bild am Sonntag reviewers cited another reason that negatively affected the start of e-tron sales. South Korean company LG Chem, which supplies battery kits to Audi, reportedly raised the cost of these products by 10% and attributed this to growing demand. Unscheduled talks have been launched as the carmaker wants to keep the terms of the contract the same.^[5]

Audi e-tron

At the official presentation of the e-tron in September 2018, Audi announced plans to start selling the electric car before the end of the year. The cost of the novelty was also named - from $74,800 in the United States and 80 thousand in Europe. e-tron is also planned to be released on the Russian market - approximately this will happen in 2019.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show  Porsche in November 2018, a presentation of a version of the e-tron GT built on the J1 platform is expected, which will also be used by the serial Taycan electric car, which will begin production in 2019.

The serial Audi e-tron GT electric sedan will receive a range of at least 400 km without recharging and will become the first electric car of the brand to support 350 kW charging stations - they will allow charging batteries on the 80% in just 12 minutes.

Start of Repetitive Production

In early September 2018, Audi announced the start of mass production of its first electric crossover. When the model is publicly presented under the name e-tron, it will take place a little later.

Audi e-tron is equipped with a pair of electric motors with a total capacity of 360 horsepower. In sports mode, the engines are capable of producing more than 400 horsepower and accelerating the car to 100 km/h in six seconds. The maximum speed is limited to 200 km/h.

Audi's first electric crossover - e-tron

The electric car has a 432-cell battery kit with a capacity of 95 kWh. The range, according to Audi, reaches 400 km according to the new WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) standard. A fast 150-kilowatt fast charging system is supported, which allows you to replenish the energy supply in batteries in half an hour.

The automaker also draws attention to the presence of braking energy recovery technology - an electro-hydraulic braking system that works together with electric motors and allows you to receive up to 30% of the electricity necessary for movement during braking. This system also functions in conjunction with a navigation system, adaptive cruise control and collects information from radars and video cameras.

Audi has launched its first all-electric crossover e-tron, which is just getting ready for a public premiere at a special event in San Francisco on September 17

Mass production of Audi e-tron started at the Audi plant in Brussels, Belgium. The official demonstration of the novelty will take place on September 17, 2018 as part of a special event in San Francisco. It is expected that the home charging station for the new electric car will also be shown there, as well as other accessories that create an ecosystem around the Audi e-tron. Sales of the car should begin by the end of 2018.

Audi notes that e-tron will usher in a new line of all-electric cars. By 2020, the company is going to begin production of a four-door Gran Turismo and a compact electric car, which will replenish this line.^[6]

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