Audi’s e-tron GT flagship
Stunning four-door spearheads dynamic electric family
AUDI has confirmed that it’ll build an electrified four-door GT car from 2020, based on the same platform as the forthcoming Porsche Mission E.
Called the Audi e-tron Gran Turismo, the all-new EV will join the upcoming e-tron and e-tron Sportback early in the coming decade. The “sporty spearhead” was announced at Audi’s Annual Press Conference in Ingolstadt last week, along with detailed information on the manufacturer’s positive 2017 financial results.
The single image (above) shows a sleek, low, four-door coupé. It gets a squat stance, huge wheels and a small glasshouse, while the nose is dominated by deep air intakes. The cabin is likely to focus around an updated version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit display, as well as the A8’s dual-screen infotainment.
The company says its new EV will be a “highly dynamic” four-door GT, using “purely electric drive”. It’ll be the first e-tron-badged Audi Sport model, paving the way for the halo brand’s EV future. Bosses denied rumours that it would replace the high-revving R8, insisting that a decision “hasn’t been made”.
No powertrain details have been revealed, but the use of Mission E underpinnings means performance will be a top priority for Audi engineers. The Porsche is expected to be launched with nearly 600bhp, so acceleration is likely to match that of Tesla’s fastest Model S. A 310-mile electric range is feasible, too, with the ability to fast charge from zero to 80 per cent full in 20 minutes.
Rupert Stadler, Audi chairman of the board, explained: “We interpret sportiness very progressively with our fully electric e-tron GT. This is how we’ll take our high-performance brand Audi Sport into the future.”
The e-tron GT will be built at Audi’s Böllinger Höfe site near Neckarsulm, Germany. It’s not clear where the new
All-electric e-tron Gran Turismo on way 4dr coupé based on Porsche Mission E
four-door will be sold, but it’s likely the brand will prioritise markets such as China and the US, before concentrating efforts on western Europe and the UK.
Audi announced that the e-tron SUV will cost 80,000 Euros when it goes on sale in Germany, so the sleeker coupé could cost £100,000-plus. The e-tron GT will form part of Audi’s electrified future – a portfolio that will span more than 20 models by 2025. Audi hopes its EV and PHEV cars will account for one-third of all sales by the middle of the next decade.
“We interpret sportiness very progressively with our fully electric e-tron GT. This is how we’ll take our Audi Sport brand into the future” Rupert Stadler Chairman of the board