Q4 e-Tron unveiled but not close

NZ not prioritised for Audi’s tasty medium crossover.

INTRODUCTION here of the Audi Q4 e-Tron unveiled overnight has been blown apart by the same issue that has delayed sister cars – maker determination other countries are initially more deserving.

Forget the early 2022 timeframe touted previously by Audi New Zealand. Local boss Dean Sheed says any hope of that occurring has gone. At very best the new crossover model, set to hit Europe’s roads in June, ‘might’ be available for launch here at the end of next year, though it could yet have to be a 2023 sighting.

“It definitely won’t be early 2022 … it will be late 2022. At the earliest. Potentially even flipping it to early 2023 is a possibility. We are down the pecking order and the challenge is securing volume.”

It’s a story that also already been told for two close cousins, the Volkswagen ID4 and Skoda Enyaq and seems increasingly likely to be aired for two others indicated for eventual NZ availability, the next-generation Porsche Macan and the SEAT/Cupra Born. 

In addition to being Audi’s seventh electric vehicle the Q4 it is also the first on the MEB platform, the structure upon which all key VW Group electric vehicles set for NZ introduction are based.

Basically, when it comes to the release of MEB models, VW Group is calling the shots.

 New Zealand does not have priority – as much as anything else, Sheed believes, it’s because VW Group has decided our national policies are not up to the pace of other countries pushing electric car adoption.

Audi NZ has been promoting the early 2022 release schedule for Q4 for some time and some months ago began to back that up with a viral warm-up campaign, now seemingly shelved.

With three powertrain options, offering up to 520km of range, and in sports utility wagon and more rakish, also five-door, Sportback body stylings, the Q4 has long been touted as being the model that would achieve as a best-seller for Audi.

The new car will sit below the e-tron in wagon and Sportback styles, the impending S editions of those, plus the more performance-oriented e-tron GT, which shares an underpinning with the Porsche Taycan and includes an RS edition.

Sheed says it’s a disappointment not achieving Q4 to the original timeframe because a lot of groundwork for its release has been laid by his brand, but fact is that VW is giving preference to countries that have a stronger Green attitude and are doing more to encourage electric vehicles.

“A lot of the volume is going to the countries with legislation and requirements for CO2 (reduction). Our country doesn’t have those yet so we are down the pecking order.

“With these (MEB) cars, demand is in excess of supply. So it comes down to rationing … VW Group has to prioritise and those countries with very strong Governmental pressure typically get the product first.

“So it’s Europe first and then they will go outside that to other countries.

“Are we (Audi NZ) ready for it? Absolutely are. However, when it comes down to prioritisation, the Government and the country does not have a sound pathway yet.”

While MEB-based cars are particularly affected, he believes this issue will also disrupt availability of many other EVs and potentially also plug-in hybrids.

However, the e-Tron GT and RS cars that will go on sale in June are not affected, being on an Audi (and Porsche)-specific platform. Also, product planning for those was signed off months ago the factory has begun production of NZ models.

The Q4 family is headed by a 50 Quattro, offering 220kW and 460Nm through dual electric motors, sending power to all four wheels for a 0-100kmh time of 6.2 seconds. It also involves an entry-level 125kW/310Nm Q4 E-Tron 35 and mid-spec 150kW/310Nm Q4 E-Tron 40. These use a single electric motor to power the rear wheels, for 0-100kmh times of between 9.0 and 8.5 seconds depending on the variant chosen. 

Audi quotes 341km of range from the E-Tron 35's 52kWh battery on the WLTP cycle. The E-Tron 40 and 50 Quattro have a 77kWh battery pack offering 520km and 488km of range respectively.

The E-Tron 35 can support fast charging up to 100kW, with 125kW charging available to the 40 and 50 Quattro models. The company says in ideal conditions, the E-Tron 40 can gain 130km of range in around 10 minutes of charging. 

The SUV body is 4590mm long, 1865mm wide, and 1613mm tall. Boot space is 520 litres, or 1490 litres with second-row seats folded down. The SUV shape has a drag coefficient of 0.28, whereas the Sportback variant has a 0.26 Cd signature.

The car runs disc front and drum rear brakes; the latter is to enable a regeneration cycle from the rear electric motor under braking, meaning less mechanical braking force is required.

The provisions to expected luxury level. It rides on 20 or 21 inch wheels and provisions a 10.1-inch infotainment screen with voice control, with an 11.6-inch screen as an option. The driver gets a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with an augmented-reality head-up display.

Buyers can also choose from nine equipment packages, each offering different trims, accents, stitching, headlining, and door sill combinations.

Those who opt for the sportier S Line interior can choose between standard natural/synthetic combination leather, premium nappa leather, Dinamica artificial suede, and Puls artificial leather – the latter two which are created from recycled plastics.

Haptic-touch buttons feature on the steering wheel, while seat heating, ventilation, and massage function can figure.

RS and S today, E-tron GT and S tomorrow?

Are you ready to say auf wiedersehen to performance petrol engines? Audi NZ’s push to point purists toward an electric future is about to kick off.

E-tron GT is expected to stay true to the styling presented by the same-named concept here.

INTENT to steer Kiwis away from their fossil fuel-frenzied Audis and toward full fizz electric equivalents is about to step up.

The trigger is the E-tron GT, a performance-focused four-door coupé combining enough rapid performance with rapid charging to match the platform-sharing Porsche Taycan, whose supercar-slaying stomp has won global acclaim.

 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, is a confirmed starter here.

 The model received mention at today’s media event for the E-Tron Sportback, a $169,990 car that’s also set to develop into an S-badged flagship that’ll also represent in the SUV bodystyle that’s been here for a year.

Audi NZ boss Dean Sheed also shared why he’s comfortable promoting all three future additions with 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 GT won’t be here until mid-2021 and the S derivatives are likely to land in the third quarter, yet the hearts and minds campaign starts in January.

 The GT’s full development path is exciting, with high certainty it will ultimately achieve RennSport accreditation, so becoming the first non fuel pump-reliant RS car ever. That breakthrough might occur in 2022.

Those S models and the GT in its initial roll out won’t be lacking, either.

Whereas the mainstream E-Tron SUV that has been here since last year and the new Sportback that releases this week run dual motors, and offer power and torque of 300kW and 664Nm (there’s also a base E-Tron SUV with 230kW and 540Nm), the S editions are the world’s first EVs with three motors – one of the front and two in the back – and pack 370kW and 973Nm.

A cited 0-100kmh time of 4.5 seconds places the models as the second fastest S models Audi presently makes, beaten only by the petrol-gulping S8 sedan. Top speed is regulated to 210kmh.

As for the GT? Outputs have yet to be given, but Taycan presumably gives a good idea of what’s in store and Audi has already made clear that even if some GTs are dual motor like the Taycan, the RS will provide with three as well. 

Porsche’s model line spans from a 4S with 320kW (390kW on overboost) and 640Nm, a Turbo with 460-500kW and a flagship Turbo S with up to 560kW. Zero to 100 times range from 4.2 to just 2.8 seconds.

Talk overseas is that the GT RS will pack no more than 522kW, so as not overshadow the top trumps Porsche. For his part, Sheed assures the car will be comfortably quicker and gruntier than the E-Tron S and will also serve up with varying levels of hotness.

“We have not made up our minds which ones we will take yet but, if you have an S car with around 370kW, we are unlikely to a GT at the same level. We will likely go with a hot car and an even hotter car.”

The e-tron Sportback (above) that has just gone on sale here now will be joined by a S variant in 2021 that makes history as the world’s first tri-motor electric car.

He acknowledges Audi NZ has enjoyed massive success with its S and RS badged models. RS penetration here is world-leading on a per head of population count.

A wide span of more than a dozen models – not just the traditional passenger models, but also sports utilities from the Q3 up to the Q8 – are presently leveraging that interest, with more than 200 registered this year alone.

Yet times are changing. While some have 48 volt electrical architectures that alleviate some fuel burn burden, all these heavy hitters rely on souped up petrol engines – from fours to also turbocharged V6s, V8s, plus a V10 - that are the biggest drinkers within their respective model families.

That actually raises another point. When it comes to range, most of Audi’s electrics will prove superior to some of the big banger petrols; the GT, for instance, is expected to arrive with a 96kWh battery that delivers a respectable 400km electric range on the official WLTP test cycle. Try getting that far in an RSQ8.

Sheed isn’t sure the argument needs be that direct. “You can burn a lot of petrol and diesel in any car … we’re just talking about using another fuel type and it happens to be electricity.

“The cool thing about EV technology is that you can ‘refuel’ your car overnight and your running costs are an absolute fraction of what you would normally have.”

Alternately, an 80 percent charge should be possible in as little as 20 minutes if you can find a rapid charger that allows the car to absorb energy at its maximum 350kW rate. Present E-trons replenish at a maximum 150kW.

Dynamics-wise? Even though EVS carry lots of weight, they need not be elephantine.

“You can also do all the things you might enjoy doing in an ICE (internal combustion) car,” Sheed says, pointing out that as well as being massively accelerative, the S models and GT are tailored to undertake drifting naughtiness.

That close relationship with the Taycan also suggests that the handling should be pretty special, as does the fact the battery occupies the entire underfloor area between the front and rear axles.

This helps to give the car a centre of gravity comparable with the Audi R8 supercar which, ironically, is set to be the other model rolling out of the Neckarsulm factory that will host GT production.

Plus, there’s an additional feel-good: “If you’re focussed on sustainability and on wanting to leave the world in a better place … well, there is one clear choice.” 

Audi has not signalled intent here or internationally to curtail any of its combustion-engined performance models, but simply the VW Group’s determination to leave ICE behind for an electric future says everything.

Sheed says moves in the United Kingdom and Europe to make the sale of ICE models illegal from as early as 2030 are obviously being noted by makers. The NZ scene is obviously influenced by that, yet of course there’s yet to be direction from Government about fleet intention so “without clear direction … we have no plan.”

However change is unavoidable. “I understand why people are petrol heads and I started life that way, too.

“But I understand where the electrical strategy is and I understand how good an EV can be. If I had a future view about leaving our wonderful country in a better place, my choice is electric.”

Audi NZ has not yet shared specific volume expectation for GT, which stands as the brand’s fifth production-confirmed electric car. Two others that have been made public, the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback, are coming to NZ at the start of 2022.

The GT’s finished design is set to be revealed soon, but pictures of camouflaged prototypes suggest that it won’t stray far from the 2018 concept car of the same name.

One last thing. The sound signature: Nothing beats the roar of a performance petrol engine, right? Well, true, electrics cannot emulate that level of noise, but Audi promises the GT will be pleasing to the purist ear. A team of sound engineers have, through blending combinations of 32 different audio tracks, created what they claim will be ‘one of the most aurally active’ EVs on the market.

Audi gets loud with quiet achiever

The car that kicks off a new era for Audi is now available in a cheaper format.

 EFFORT to instil the e-tron as a relevant competitor to fossil-fuelled supports utilities is stepping up with arrival of another variant. 

The e-tron ‘50’ quattro going into dealerships now is a lookalike for the ‘55’ model that started Audi’s full-electric charge into the SUV sector a year ago, but has a less powerful quattro drivetrain that offers about 100kms’ less range. 

Those factors, however, don’t inhibit it from being perfect for NZ driving the brand says. They also deliver a positive in the model’s pricing – the launch price is more than $30,000 less than that for the ‘55’. 

In this respect, though, an equally significant contributor to this positioning is Audi itself. 

Audi New Zealand, which is a privately-owned concession held by the Giltrap family, has acknowledged it has received something independent national distributors cannot always rely upon - significant factory support. 

This has allowed the Auckland distributor to launch the model at $119,900.

Brand boss Dean Sheed says that’s around $16k less than the recommended retail the car will ultimately carry once that support ends. By comparison, the ‘55’ comes in for around $150,000 in a base format, with a higher-specced Advanced model costing another $5000. 

Audi NZ intends to leverage the ‘market special’ launch price fully, by also advertising that the ‘50’ will be eligible for an operational lease arrangement for businesses. 

This provisions the car for-$1799 plus GST a month with no deposit and monthly payments all tax deductible as an operating expense. “And you hand the car back in three years’ time.”

Sheed has not disclosed volume expectations for the ‘50’, but says has expressed hope that its positioning will draw a significant interest, not least from purchasers for whom price is more of a priority than any prestige factor. 

“If the buyer is a price shopper then the $119k MSRP puts it smack into high end mid-sized SUVs … if it’s a first time EV buyer its more palatable than its big brother at $155k.”

Audi NZ is set to progressively enlarge the e-tron family over the next year; soon the range will be joined by a lower-roofed Sportback shape and this time next year it is adding performance-themed S model.

All variants are all-wheel drive models, powered by an electric motor for each axle. By default the e-tron drives through the rear motor only, until the driver demands extra performance and traction. 

All variants also have lithium ion batteries, but whereas the ‘55’ has a 95kWh unit and electric motors that generate 300kW and 664Nm, the ‘50’ runs a 71kWh battery and power and torque reduce to 230kW and 540Nm.

This translates to a longer 0-100kmh time, of 6.8 seconds versus 5.7s, and also a lower range, with Audi claiming a maximum 347kms’ from full battery to depleted as established from assessment on the WLTP protocol against 446km. 

How much difference will this make to the buyer profile? Probably.

“The ‘50’ is a trial at the entry point … we will see the public feedback. I believe it will be mainly a city-based car for family’s or a business owner’s car.” 

Sheed says the ‘55’ has proven itself; not least because it’s in a sweet spot for price versus spec. And yet “this smaller battery enables a smaller price point which can be used in other models.”

The variant’s arrival as NZ comes part some degree of post-Covid normality is useful. Sales stopped during lockdown but not consumer interest. 

“Buyers kept doing research, now they are coming back to the market with precise needs and expectations.”

Warranty and roadside assist provisions are as per the ‘55’ and it also runs a comprehensive specification, including the 20-inch rim and 225/50 tyre set that otherwise provides to the ‘55’ Advance. The battery comprises 324 prismatic cells combined in 27 modules.

Recharging times are as per the ‘55’, with Audi NZ reminding that compliance with fast-charging available up to 120kW means that the car is “all set for the next long-distance stretch of a journey in approximately 30 minutes.”

A mobile charging system can be used with a 230-volt household outlet or the recommended, 32 Amp industrial plug via Audi’s home charging installation process. Alternately, the battery can be supplied with alternating current (AC) at a charging capacity up to 11kW, which will take approximately seven hours.