We’ve learned that Audi’s fully electric, “Model X fighting” Q6 crossover, which is confirmed to arrive in roughly three years, will be just the first version, and it will be joined by other iterations with plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-fuel-cell powertrains. These will come to market after the initial model.
A first glimpse of Audi’s fully electric “Sports Activity Vehicle,” as the company calls it in an appropriation of BMW terminology, will be offered in the form of a concept car at the Frankfurt auto show this fall. Based on Audi’s MLB modular-longitudinal platform, the vehicle will be launched in early 2018. Squarely aimed at the upcoming, delayed Tesla Model X, Audi’s contender will be sized like an Audi Q5 but feature far more sporty and aerodynamic styling. Electric range is said to exceed 310 miles.
With the additional powertrain choices, Audi is hedging its bets as it engages the low-volume yet highly volatile market for battery-electric vehicles.
The initial success of Tesla’s Model S took the auto industry somewhat by surprise. But the established players are working on responses. A portion of the premium customer base that is too large and vocal to neglect believes that electrics are a viable proposition to fix transportation and energy needs. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche are rushing fully electric competitors to market, while BMW, which already offers electric cars, is so skeptical of the technology that plug-in hybrids are its preferred solution for premium customers.
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