E-tron GT to get ‘power focus’
Audi EV aims to outsprint Tesla’s Model S P100D and will have “some Porsche genes”
The Audi E-tron GT four-door electric sports car, due in 2020, will have a similar range to the new E-tron SUV but be “focused more towards power”, according to the firm’s powertrain boss.
The E-tron SUV offers a 248-mile range measured on the new WLTP test and Siegfried Pint told Autocar the GT will achieve a similar range. But he added that the vehicle will be “steered towards performance”.
In the most powerful boost mode, the E-tron has a claimed 0-60mph time of 5.5sec, with a top speed of 124mph. By comparison, the rival Tesla Model S P100D has a 0-62mph time of 4.3sec and a 155mph top speed. It is understood that Audi will endeavour to make the E-tron GT beat those figures.
The E-tron GT, set to be previewed in concept form at the Los Angeles motor show in November, will be built on the same J1 platform as the Porsche Taycan EV that will be launched next year.
Audi technical development boss Ulrich Widmann said the E-tron GT will “get some genes from Porsche and add a lot of Audi genes”.
The E-tron GT will be the first electric model in the E-tron range to get a ‘flatfloor solution’ rather than the ‘high-floor solutions’ seen in the E-tron and upcoming E-tron Sportback, Widmann said.
The model will also be the first Audi EV to allow for 350kw fast charging, according to product manager Johannes Eckstein. That means it will be capable of charging to 80% in under 12 minutes.
Audi first confirmed plans for the electric four-door car in March – two years after Autocar had scooped the model – at the company’s annual press conference.
Audi has also described the upcoming four-door as “highly dynamic” and said it showed the direction of the company’s performance division.
The E-tron GT will be produced at the firm’s Neckarsulm factory in Germany. It is one of 10 Audi electric models that are due before 2025. RACHEL BURGESS