Presented last month at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, the Audi E-Tron Sportback Concept has been green lighted for production and it will arrive in the USA in 2019.
The decision is official, according to Autonews, citing executives with knowledge on the matter, and once ready, the electric SUV will be underpinned by a modified version of the MLB Evo architecture, shared with the A4, A5, Q5, and Q7.
It’s expected to hit the market with a broad range of zero-emission powertrains, but the most potent version of the vehicle should produce up to 500 horses, similar to the study’s 496hp with boost mode engaged. This will allow it to travel from naught to 62mph (100km/h) roughly the same as the show car, in approximately 4.5 seconds.
Audi will go the extra mile to make their E-Tron Sportback as futuristic as possible by fitting it with exterior cameras, organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and screens replacing the conventional side mirrors, but only in markets that allow it.
Pricing is believed to commence at around $70,000, which will make it some $20,000 more expensive than the entry-level 2017 Q7.
Paving the road for the E-Tron Sportback will be the E-Tron Quattro, a similarly sized SUV, which was previewed by the E-Tron Quattro Concept in 2015. It will be launched in 2018, and it will look similar to the coupe-ish Sportback, but with a more conventional roofline and the extra interior space that comes with it.
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