NZ first country in Asia-Pacific to get e-tron

Audi New Zealand has had a busy few weeks with not only the launch of the A1 sportback but its allelectric vehicle, the e-tron.

Pricing starts at $148,500 for the e-tron 55 quattro and $157,000 for the advanced 55 quattro with the electric SUV touting a 400km-plus km range, quattro drive, 1800kg tonne towing and 660l luggage capacity.

It has an electric motor working on each axle, both powered by a 95kw/h battery pack under the floor and between the wheels.

The rear motor is slightly more powerful than the front, a deliberate powertrain placement to give the e-tron a rear-drive bias in normal running. When needed, the AWD system can distribute torque to both axles in an instant.

The front motor delivers 139kW/

309NM; the rear 125kW/236Nm, for a total output of 264kW/

545Nm. But a boost mode pushes output to 300kW/664Nm for eight seconds of sustained acceleration.

It joins Mercedes-Benz’s EQC, Tesla’s Model X and Jaguar’s I-Pace as electric SUVs on sale.

“New Zealand will be the first country in Asia-Pacific to get the e-tron,” said Audi NZ’s general manager, Dean Sheed.