AUDI UNVEILS E-SUV
E-tron models set to rival Tesla on its home turf
GERMAN luxury car brand Audi on Monday staged the global launch of a new electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) on the home turf of rival Tesla Inc, and highlighted a deal with Amazon.com Inc to make recharging its forthcoming e-tron models easier.
The Audi e-tron midsize SUV will be offered in the US next year at a starting price of US$75,795 (RM313,814) before a US$7,500 tax credit. It is one of a volley of electric vehicles coming from Volkswagen AG brands, as well as other European premium brands including Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo Cars and Jaguar Land Rover.
All aim to expand the market for premium electric vehicles and also to grab share of that market from Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, which has had the niche largely to itself.
“I want Audi to be the numberone electric vehicle seller in America over the long term,” Audi of America president Scott Keogh said in an interview on Monday.
Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk, who is also head of rocket company SpaceX, planned to mark the e-tron launch occasion by staging a SpaceX event in Los Angeles at roughly the same time on Monday evening as Audi’s unveiling.
Audi and parent Volkswagen are using the US launch of the etron SUV in mid-2019 to take aim at one obstacle to expanding electric vehicle sales — the lack of convenient ways to recharge their batteries.
Audi will partner with online retailer Amazon to sell and install home electric vehicle charging systems to buyers of the e-tron, the companies said on Monday.
Amazon will deliver the hardware and hire electricians to install them through its Amazon Home Services operation.
Amazon’s partnership with Audi to provide home charging systems is the first time the online retailer has struck such a deal with an carmaker.
Audi executives said home charging stations would cost about US$1,000, depending on the home’s electrical system.