The Audi e-tron GT Concept is a magnificent four-door VE

When you build an electric supercar, who better than Tony Stark to give him that burst of superstar? "I've had an extramarital affair with Audi for more than 10 years," joked Robert Downey Jr. at the launch of the Audi GT Concept. Downey spoke with legendary automotive designer Marc Lichte to unveil a breathtaking car that, although nicknamed a concept, is actually an amazing product ready to be used at 99%.

It's no secret that Audi also has a long love affair with Marvel Studios. The Audi R8 will forever be tied to Tony Stark, the billion-dollar genius and playboy philanthropist best described by Robert Downey Jr.

Following the new SUV and e-tron Audi e-tron Sportback, the Audi e-tron Sportback is the latest four-door electric coupe: the Audi e-tron GT. It is a 100% electric and high performance GT that will offer the best of the best 100% electric cars on the market. "The Audi R8 has become the superhero of our portfolio," said Parys Cybulski, outdoor design specialist. "The new Audi e-tron GT Concept represents the evolution of our product portfolio."

And although the Audi e-tron GT is still in the design stage today, there are many reasons to lose sleep while you wait for the arrival of the production model in the end from 2020. To begin, the e-tron GT is the first 100% electric vehicle developed by Audi Sport GmbH, a private high-performance subsidiary of the Audi brand. The aim was to create a luxurious and sporty GT electric car, capable of driving on the smooth motorways of the German motorway and beyond. In the case of Robert Downey Jr., you can expect to see him badping the GT e-tron, fighting the bad guys in the future. Marvel Avengers movie.

The first camouflage shots teased the clbadic proportions of a clbadic Gran Turismo. The aerodynamic shape, wider position and long wheelbase of the Audi e-tron GT Concept are revealed. According to Audi, the car will measure 4.96 meters (16.3 feet) long and 1.96 meters (6.4 feet) wide, which is eerily similar to the 16.6 feet long and 6.35 meters of wide of the current Porsche Panamera. Unlike the Taycan Porsche, the electric sedan of this manufacturer, the e-tron GT Concept has more muscular wheel arches at the front and rear.

Although Audi may be working with Porsche to develop the powerful technologies of the GT e-tron, the design and features of the vehicle will remain faithful to Audi's DNA. As can be expected from a high-performance GT sedan, the Audi e-tron GT has a gently sloping roofline. The sportback configuration recalls that of the Audi A7, although the concept of the GT e-tron rests two inches off the ground compared to the A7. In fact, the Audi R8 is only at a lower level than the e-tron GT, which further blurs the categories of both cars. The cab layout is designed to strongly taper at the rear of the vehicle, which Audi believes is the next step in the evolution of its overall design language.

It took almost four months to perfect the prominent shoulders falling on the inflated wheel arches, while the flat floor suggests a lower center of gravity. In order to reduce the drag coefficient, Audi designers have worked with their engineering counterparts to apply all the tricks of the wind tunnel to produce an elegant and elegant silhouette. The body is drawn with wide lines and various functional elements to further reduce the resistance. The vents in the wheel arches are not only used to show, for example: they smooth the flow of air around the car. The same goes for the solid rear diffuser, which helps keep the rear of the car at maximum speed.

The large air intakes at the front are designed to cool the battery and the brakes. The hood is sculpted to allow the airflow to literally stall on the body as the car moves forward. The front of the e-tron GT is unmistakably an Audi, with the iconic Audi Singleframe grille, but this time it presents a more horizontal architecture that further emphasizes the wider position of the four-door coupe.

At the back, it's hard not to notice the bright band that runs all the way to the back of the GT e-tron. The light strip will fade on the outer edges to highlight the wedge-shaped LED lighting segments, echoing those mounted on the Audi e-tron SUV that will be launched in the United States. ;next year.

Still, if the Audi e-tron GT wants to get noticed in the realm of, ah, ridiculous electric vehicles – yes, Tesla Model S, I'm looking at you – it takes awesome power output and a ridiculous zero to 60 times. For this, the e-tron GT uses a pair of asynchronous electric motors located at the front and rear, together producing a power of 590 horsepower. This is enough to finish the sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds, while the time between 0 and 124 km / h takes only 12 seconds. The maximum speed is electronically limited to 150 mph.

The torque of the two electric motors is transmitted digitally to the electric quattro all-wheel drive, which we saw for the first time in the Audi e-tron SUV. There is no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles and the system also uses the torque vector to transfer the appropriate amount of power between the front and rear wheels. In order to spice things up, the system can also coordinate the drive between the left and right wheels to deliver superior handling. The car is also endowed with full steering, promising to further enhance the dynamic agility and directional stability of the car.

The electricity is provided by a lithium-ion battery of 90 kWh. The ultra-thin battery pack is strategically located in the entire under-floor area, between the front and rear axles, keeping the center of gravity low. The battery provides enough juice to reach an estimated maximum distance of 248.5 miles or 400 kilometers in a single charge. Audi has reused its high-tech energy recovery system, which we also saw first in the Audi e-tron SUV.

The system can recover energy by raising the accelerator pedal or applying the brakes. Stopping power is achieved by conventional electric motors and friction brakes, but the system chooses which of the two is best suited for a given situation. If the system decides to use electric motors instead of brake discs to slow down or stop the vehicle, it can recover energy and recharge the batteries. In this scenario, the electric motors act as two alternators to supply the juice.

The battery can also be charged quickly thanks to the integrated 800 volt charging system. This system can charge the battery to 80% of its capacity in about 20 minutes, which is enough to offer a real range of 320 km. The battery can also be charged with the Audi Wireless Charging System. It uses a charging pad installed in the floor of your garage: you park the car on the charging pad and its power of 11 kW will fully recharge the batteries of your e-tron GT during the night.

The interior offers enough room for four pbadengers. "It's the width that counts," explains Enzo Rothfuss, director of Audi Interior Design. "It was fun to design the inside of the GT e-tron. And since this car is essentially an electric R8 four-seater, the interior design gives the impression that you are sitting in a sports car, but more spacious. "

The feeling of immersive space begins with the physical layout of the dashboard. : We created the world's largest dashboard, "Rothfuss continued. Everything seems wider and extended inside the Audi e-tron GT. But at the same time, you are sitting lower than in a conventional car, giving the impression of driving a super sedan version of the Audi R8 supercar. "Honestly, the interior and exterior design of the new Audi e-tron GT is 99% ready for production," the designer concluded.

The Audi e-tron GT Concept being an all-electric vehicle, you also have access to two luggage compartments. Lift the hood to use 100 liters of cargo space; the rear luggage area offers enough space to load a cargo of up to 450 liters (15.9 cubic feet). In the end, the new Audi e-tron GT is not only fast, spacious, quiet and comfortable, but it also turns out to be an unexpected practice.

We are used to seeing concept cars give a glimpse of fancy waves of design in auto shows, but Audi remains adamant about its production intentions for the e-tron GT Concept. In the meantime, expect that some of its aesthetic elements will be included in future Audi models. One thing is clear: even though it may be a superhero car first, it will make waves once it leaves the movie screen to go to the dealership.