Audi confirms (again) three electrical cars on the market by 2020
Audi e-tron Quattro concept – two thousand sixteen Consumer Electronics Showcase
German automakers are beginning to play catch-up with electrical vehicles, as Tesla resumes to corner the market.
Audi has once again reconfirmed its plans to bring three battery-powered electrified vehicles to production by the year 2020.
The German luxury brand reiterated the plan at the annual general meeting in Neckarsulm, Germany, and said it will proceed electrifying its portfolio little by little thereafter.
By the year 2025, Audi expects one-third of its portfolio to be fully or partially electrified.
Audi plans to share electrical vehicle platforms with fellow Volkswagen brand Porsche. The brand believes platform sharing will be a key component in bringing the cost of electrified vehicles down.
Audi e-tron Sportback concept, two thousand seventeen Shanghai auto showcase
Specifically, Audi foresees multi-million-dollar cost savings by utilizing and working with Porsche on electrified vehicle architectures.
Therefore, it’s possible Audi will eventually share components or even a platform with the forthcoming Porsche Mission E.
The Mission E concept is powered by a 600-horsepower electrified powertrain and comebacks a Porsche-estimated three hundred ten miles per charge.
The 310-mile range figure is likely based on the NEDC cycle presently used in Europe, which yields higher figures; an EPA range would likely be twenty to twenty five percent lower.
As for the Audi electrical vehicles, the trio will begin with the Audi e-tron and is slated to arrive sometime in 2018.
Audi also displayed a 2nd electrified vehicle concept at the two thousand seventeen Shanghai auto showcase called the e-tron Sportback.
Audi e-tron Sportback Concept, two thousand seventeen Shanghai auto display [photo:Ronan Glon]
The range estimate is identical to the original e-tron—and the Mission E—at three hundred ten miles per charge.
Both the e-tron and e-tron Sportback concepts also utilize a 95-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
The third electrical Audi is presently a mystery, but the current market for luxury crossovers may dictate its utility vehicle proportions.
Of course, the shove for electrified vehicles comes after the scandalous diesel crisis, which affected Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi vehicles powered by various diesel engines.
Since the scandal broke almost two years ago, Volkswagen and its brands have bet big on electrified vehicles for the future.
