Audi’s hot electric uncovered

Spanish website gives preview ahead of official reveal.

SCHEDULED for an unofficial global unwrap tomorrow, Audi’s much anticipated rival to the Tesla Model S has surfaced online ahead of that timeline.

The E-Tron GT electric sedan surfaced on social media with images of what appears to be the completely showroom-ready example published on Spanish car enthusiast community Cochespias.

The GT has been seen camouflaged form under testing, and a concept was displayed by the Volkswagen Group brand in 2018, but this might well be the first look of the car as it will avail to buyers.

Kiwis might have particular excitement, as New Zealand seems set to be an early adopter of the performance-focused four-door coupé, which combines enough rapid performance with rapid charging to match the platform-sharing Porsche Taycan, whose supercar-slaying stomp has won global acclaim.

Audi NZ has signalled the first electric out of Audi that’s been purpose-designed to specifically appeal to the marque’s petrolhead audience, especially fervent in this country, will come here from mid-year.

 It is set to present in the guise seen here and also as a full-blown RS model, the latter being the first electric car from Ingolstadt’s performance tuning operation. Audi appears to have successfully kept the production look of that flagship, seen below during testing, under wraps.

Last October Audi NZ boss Dean Sheed explained to MotoringNZ why he’s comfortable promoting these cars to revheads presently driving fossil-fuelled S and RS models.  

“We’ll definitely be talking to them because they are right in the sweet spot. The reason I say that is because this is the first complete car from Audi Sport … it has a huge credibility and it just happens to also be electric.”

Will the old-school buy into the new way? Sheed reckons he can talk most around to at least thinking about it.

“When people see it, when they understand the technology and when they find out how it drives .. well, they’re going to want it.”

The hero variant is powered by a 440kW/830Nm electric system that will power it to 100kmh in less than 3.5 seconds – thanks to a 475kW output in overboost mode. 

Media says this pales in comparison to the new ‘Plaid’ variants in the most recently updated Tesla Model S, however, which promise 0-100km/h times from 3.2 seconds and right down to “less than 2.0 seconds”. 

Driving range for the E-Tron – at least in RS form – is expected to come in at around 400 kilometres on the WLTP measure, thanks to an 83.7kWh (93kWh gross) battery pack.