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The twin truths The future of the US auto industry is that there will be trucks and there will be electricity. Audi has already adopted the E-tron SUV, but now it is also half heretical and hopes to prove that no matter what GM thinks, Americans still have a place in their aisles for sedans. At least, sporty, imported, electric.
On Monday evening, the German car company gave reporters, dealers and various big heads a glimpse of its new electric car haloed. Robert Downey, Jr. was on hand – in costume and pink high-top – to remove the blanket while Kraftwerk Classic was crushed by the speakers. (Iron Man and Audi have a relationship that goes back to the product placement of the R8 in the first film.)
The Audi E-tron GT concept is a four-door Gran Turismo (should not it be großer tourer?), which should come into production in 2020. The car is low, wide and long, with a sloping roof reminiscent of the A7, the most beautiful Audi sedan. The most distinctive parts of the design are strong rear hips, like a muscle car, and a deeply carved sill, passing under the doors between the wheels. It is the home of the battery that is voluntarily called, what Audi calls the "energy center" of the car. Other quirks that may not happen in production include the glossy touch buttons instead of the door knobs, the huge wheels that look a bit like the aerodynamic design on the Tesla 3 model, so could help with the range, and a bright red retro E-tron badge in the rear bumper.
Despite the presence of this big battery, the car is two inches lower than the A7, said Marc Lichte, head of design at Audi. "We have developed a smart battery with different heights," he says. More of the mass has been moved under the seats, with cutouts for the feet, instead of the standard skateboard design.
On the front, the honeycomb grille stretches horizontally, unlike the more vertical grille of the SUV E-tron. The upper half of the grill is closed. "It's not a radiator anymore, it's just a surface with sensors underneath," says Lichte. There are always large air intakes to cool the battery and brakes, as well as to reduce the turbulent airflow and make the vehicle more aerodynamic. The animated headlights generate a pulsating light wave when the driver approaches the car, which, according to Audi, will come into production (but may not hold your breath in the United States). At the back, the unique red light strip appears to fracture and spread on the edges to form the taillights, which have a hint of Ford Mustang.
The GT concept is the third car in Audi's E-tron range. The SUV arrived on the market this year. The Sportback is more practical midway for someone who needs the convenience of an SUV but who needs a coupe flash. The GT is based on the same platform as the Porsche Taycan, which has long been teased (VW), so the performances are really interesting.
The GT will develop 590 horsepower from two electric motors, one at the front, the other at the rear, which will make it a full transmission or quattro. Audi says it will do 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, with a maximum speed limited to 149 mph. And he should be able to do this sprint again and again without losing performance – a criticism of some previous electrical systems such as the Tesla Model S – because of its intensive cooling.
The battery is a 90 kWh pack that, according to Audi, will offer a range of 248 km, per European test cycle. Expect the number to decrease during the official US EPA test. It's comparable to other luxury vehicles like the Jaguar I-Pace and the Mercedes EQC, but it's a big SUV. The Tesla Model S, equally low and elegant, draws 315 miles from its pack of 100 kWh.
Like the Taycan Porsche, the E-tron GT will feature an 800-volt battery system. This makes charging fast even faster than the more typical 400-volt architecture of modern electric vehicles. Audi claims 20 minutes to replenish 80%, but that will depend on looking for a charger capable of providing that juice. Porsche provides its dealers with fast chargers for its customers, but does not know if Audi will do the same.
Still recovering from its scandal over diesel emissions, the parent company of Audi, Volkswagen, is embarking on electrification. According to Audi, by 2025, 30% of its sales volume will be electric vehicles.
Sedans may be a heresy for American automakers at the moment, but Autobahn motorists are still selling well in Europe and China. And if Audi and Porsche can offer electric cars as pretty as their concepts, they also have a chance to win the American drivers again.
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