Audi says it has held back on launching a fully electric vehicle until the battery technology became available to facilitate a range of more than 300 miles from a single charge. That time has apparently now arrived as shown by the company preparing its e-tron SUV to go on sale next summer with a range of up to 310 miles.
While we won’t see the car in production form until early next year, it’s likely the design will bear some resemblance to the e-tron Quattro Concept first seen at 2015’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Prototypes spotted on test appear to share the concept’s profile, which is lower and sleeker than other Audi SUVs’. But the show car’s oversized grille will be slimmed down for production.
No matter what the e-tron looks like, Audi’s decision to make its first electric car an SUV rather than a saloon pitches it into competition with the Tesla Model X and forthcoming Jaguar I-Pace. And this is set to be the first of three battery-powered Audis due to hit the road by 2020.
