The new battery-powered R8 e-tron presented in Geneva last week was only the beginning for Audi’s EV future as the German carmaker confirmed a new pure-electric model.
Audi’s Engineering head Dr Ulrich Hackenberg made the announcement today during the brand’s annual press conference held at its headquarters in Ingolstadt, stating that it will be a crossover model that will enter production in the beginning of 2018, though, a concept is likely to appear before the end of the year.
“In early 2018, we will launch a battery-powered sports activity vehicle in the large premium segment with a range of more than 500 kilometers (+310 miles),” said Hackenberg.
“It will have a new, very attractive design, which we are developing especially for the e-tron range and for battery-electric vehicles. This sports activity vehicle will be built on the second generation of the modular longitudinal platform (MLB 2) – our concept for optimal drivetrain diversity implementation. You will hear and see more of this before the end of the year,” he added.
Audi didn’t name the crossover model, but it did release a preliminary (darkened) teaser during the conference in which we see a sporty silhouette with broad fenders. The EV could be named Q6 e-tron, which would mean it’s related to the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe rival being prepared by Audi.
Screenshot: Audi via Autoexpress
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