Ecomento.com: Audi will leverage the popularity of SUVs to help launch a pure electric rival to the BMW i3, reports Auto Bild.
The new car, called the A2Q, will arrive in 2018 sharing the same platform as the A3 Sportback e-tron but with a moderately raised ride height. Unlike BMW, which has developed a unique platform for it electric cars, both Audi and Volkswagen are keen to use existing production lines to build alternative-powertrain vehicles.
Auto Bild renderings suggest that the car will resemble a bulkier version of the 1999 Audi A2 while keeping the carmaker’s characteristic aggressive open grille. This is in contrast to many electric vehicles, which keep the semblance of a grille in order to appeal to what customers are comfortable with but have them closed off. The grille will, however, be smaller than on other Audi models.
Advances in battery technology will enable Audi to offer the A2Q with a range of around 300 miles – far greater than the BMW i3’s 84 miles of autonomy, notwithstanding any advances the company, and its supplier Samsung, may make between now and then.
The plans are another sign that Audi needs some lucidity. By controversially scrapping promising projects like the electric A2 e-tron (above) and A1 e-tron range-extender (below), the company has given compatriot and fierce rival BMW a firm advantage. The Munich carmaker can’t currently build the i3 fast enough to satisfy demand, while Audi has only just launched its first, tentative plug-in hybrid model.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler recently said that the company is focusing on plug-in hybrids rather than battery-electric cars because it wants “to build cars that sell.” With Tesla predicted to build 100,000 cars next year and the i3 smashing through even BMW’s own targets, it’s possible that Audi will rue their naivety in years to come.
Auto Bild also alleges that a larger Tesla Model X rival in still planned, and could arrive earlier than the A2Q, in 2017. The Q6’s longer floorpan will afford the car an even bigger battery capable of delivering 430 miles of range on a single charge.
The SUV – until recently touted as the Q8 e-tron – will be built on the same platform as the A6 and A7 models. Plug-in hybrid and gasoline version of the A6 will also be offered.
