Audi E-Tron, a new fully electric SUV, is unveiled

By joining a growing number of luxury automakers, Audi has unveiled a new all-electric SUV. Called the E-Tron, the SUV will be available in Europe later this year and in the US next spring.

Audi has announced that it will start receiving $ 1,000 refundable deposits for E-Tron. Prices will start at around $ 75,000 or $ 86,700 for well-equipped "First Edition" models.

This is the first of three new electric vehicles that Audi will introduce in the next few years. The German luxury car manufacturer, which is part of the Volkswagen Group (VLKPF), also announced that it is partnership with Amazon to manage the installation of charging stations for E-Tron buyers.

The E-Tron was revealed at an event on the San Francisco waterfront. Hundreds of drones have formed the Audi four-ring logo on an old space dedicated to Ford factory events.

The SUV was unveiled here because the E-Tron was designed specifically for the US market, Audi officials said.

Although this may not generate the excitement of a Tesla unveiling – this company has received hundreds of thousands of dollars of deposits for his model 3 in a few hours beginning – The E-Tron increases the competitive pressure.

The E-Tron follows Jaguar's electric I-Pace SUV. Mercedes and BMW have also recently unveiled electric SUVs that will go on sale in the coming years.

These offers are all SUVs mainly because the market, in general, has evolved strongly in this direction.

"We wanted to be in the SUV business because we saw growth and we wanted to be in the ideal market area," said Filip Brabec, vice president at Audi for product development.

Purchasers of cars considering an electric car are no longer interested in the fact that their vehicle looks radically different from anything on the road, said Brabec.

The E-Tron clearly looks like an Audi SUV. Even the famous trapezoidal grille of Audi, a key feature of the brand, even though it does not require a radiator. The grille allows air to pass under the battery to provide additional cooling.

There are, however, unique attributes. The E-Tron is a bit wider than other Audi SUVs. The slats that pass through the rear bumper draw attention to the lack of car exhaust pipes, while front lights are designed to resemble the bars of a charge status indicator. .

In Europe, E-Tron will not have traditional mirrors. Instead, there will be a camera on each side of the mirrors. The views of these cameras will be displayed on the screens inside the vehicle.

This system will not be available in the United States because security rules do not allow it. Audi executives said they were working with the National Road Safety Administration to bring this feature to the US market.

With two electric motors, the all-wheel drive SUV can accelerate from zero at 60 miles to the hour in 5.5 seconds and it has a top speed of 124 miles per hour. He will be able to tow up to 4,000 pounds. Audi has not yet announced its full autonomy.

When the E-Tron is cruising, rather than accelerating, it is driven primarily by the rear engine. Engineers put a strong emphasis on getting as much energy recovery as possible while driving. This is usually done when the vehicle brakes or slows down by allowing the wheels to push the electric motors back, making them act as generators.

In the E-Tron, the driver can choose how aggressively the car uses this system, allowing for "a pedal" in which the pressure tap on the accelerator pedal slows down the complete stop of the car using only the engines.

As with other Audi vehicles, the driver will also be able to select different driving modes, from comfortable to sporty, that will change suspension stiffness, responsiveness of steering and the speed at which the SUV accelerates. SUV ground clearance is also adjustable by three inches.

Buyers will be able to purchase a home charging system and have it installed by Amazon Home Services. The installation can be ordered online. Prices vary according to the needs of each owner.

Audi plans to release two more electric vehicles over the next two years and a total of 12 by 2025.

CNNMoney (San Francisco) First published on September 18, 2018: 12:08 ET