Audi’s Tesla-rivalling electric SUV will be called ‘e-tron’ when it lobs in 2018, not Q6 as pundits had previously speculated.
The SUV is set to be heavily based on the 2015 e-tron quattro SUV concept (pictured), which has a drag co-efficient of just 0.25, beaten only by the Model X’s 0.24 figure. Comparatively, the Mercedes G 63 AMG has a Cd of 0.53.
CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed the vehicle is sufficiently removed from the rest of the range to justify its own name. In an Autocar report Stadler said:
“It is comparable to the first Audi quattro, which was known simply as the quattro. In the long term the name e-tron will stand for a pure electric driveline structure. We will have models with the usual names, for example A6 e-tron, A7 e-tron, A8 e-tron and so on.”
Audi has previously confirmed the 2018 production date as well as 500km range and three electric motors; two at the back and one at the front.
Anticipated rivals are the Mercedes EQ SUV, the battery-powered next-gen BMW X3, and even Mitsubishi has confirmed it will be fielding a fully-electric SUV by the end of the decade.
An exciting new chapter full of electron-filled combatants is about to begin.
