Audi Teases PPE Platform, Will Be One Of Four Architectures Used On Electric Vehicles

Audi has unveiled their so-called “Road map E.”

As the name suggests, the company is betting big on electrification and they plan to offer 30 electrified vehicles by 2025. Electric vehicles will play an important role in this push and the company said 20 of the models will be fully electric.

However, Audi isn’t putting all their eggs in one basket as they’ll use four different electric vehicle platforms. We’ve already seen the first as the E-tron rides on a modified version of the MLB evo platform.

Bigger changes will occur in the future as upcoming models will ride on platforms designed specifically for electric vehicles. The first of these will be the production version of the E-tron GT concept which was introduced last year. The model will arrive in 2020 and be based on the performance-oriented J1 platform that underpins the Porsche Taycan.

A year later, in 2021, Audi will introduce their third electric vehicle platform which should already be familiar to our readers. We’re, of course, talking about Volkswagen’s MEB platform which underpins the ID 3.

The first Audi model to use the MEB architecture will be the production version of the Q4 e-tron concept. It will have exterior dimensions similar to the Q3, but an interior that is on par with the Q5.

Audi will offer additional models based on the MEB platform and the company says they’ll be compact to medium-sized. The automaker didn’t go into specifics, but said the upcoming models will have a “fascinating design, high-quality interior workmanship and a top-of-the-line operating system.”

More importantly, MEB-based models will be an affordable. As part of the effort to keep prices down, Audi confirmed plans to offer base models with a rear-mounted electric motor and rear-wheel drive. There will also be higher-end variants with two electric motors and all-wheel drive.

Also Read: Audi Developing At Least Three Electric Cars On VW’s MEB Platform

To accommodate full-size and luxury models, Audi will use the PPE architecture which is being developed with Porsche. The company says the platform will be used on an assortment of vehicles including wagons, crossovers, sportbacks and SUVs.

The platform is “generally similar” to the MEB architecture as there will be a rear electric motor and rear-wheel drive as well as dual motors and all-wheel drive. However, the platform will feature higher-end technologies such as an 800 volt electrical system and a charging capacity of 350 kW.  Audi also hinted PPE-based vehicles could have an air suspension, all-wheel steering and torque vectoring.

As part of the announcement, Audi teased a PPE-based concept called the “Sportback-Layout.” The company didn’t say much about the model, but previous reports have suggested it could go into production in 2023 and feature a stylish design that borrows cues from the E-Tron GT and A7 Sportback. However, it would be significantly smaller than the latter model as it’s rumored to be about the same size as the A4.