Audi e-tron revealed before Paris show
Electric SUV is the first e-tron to make it to production
Audi has revealed its first production EV. The e-tron, whose name will amuse the locals at the Paris Motor Show, is a full-size SUV featuring a 95kWh battery and a motor at each axle generating a combined 400 horsepower, with a claimed range of 250 miles.
The exterior is very conventional in design, with defining ‘e-tron’ features including cameras replacing mirrors, a grey ‘single frame’ grille (only about a quarter of which is open to outside air), a contrasting wedge in the side skirt to hint at the battery’s presence, LED lights with an extension on their lower outer corners, and low-drag wheels. Orange details are another visual clue that it’s all-electric, according to Audi.
The interior builds on Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ philosophy, with the centre console angled slightly towards the driver in the same fashion as last year’s new A7. Double decker touchscreens separate out infotainment and HVAC systems, while elsewhere the side mirrors have been replaced with screens, in the doors below the A-pillars and close to where one is trained to look for mirrors.
We’ll have more in-depth coverage at the Paris Motor Show. For now, there are more images – and some great sketches – in the gallery to the upper right.