Audi Q6 e-Tron All-Electric 'Coupe SUV' Confirmed For 2018
Over the next few years, the German luxury establishment--including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche--is expected to launch a barrage of electric car models in a belated attempt to take on startup Tesla Motors.
For some time, it's been understood that one of those models will be an all-electric SUV from Audi.
The carmaker now says that the model will arrive in 2018, as part of a significant expansion of its product lineup.
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During its annual meeting this week, Audi confirmed it will launch a "sporty SUV with electric drive."
This model was discussed at last year's meeting, and will likely be called the Q6 e-tron when it enters production.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler previously said the vehicle will have a range of 500 kilometers (310 miles), calling that distance a "must."
That figure likely refers to range as measured on the European testing cycle, though. The rated range of the Audi Q6 on the U.S. EPA cycle might come closer to 250 miles.
That would put it just above the base Tesla Model S 70D, which is rated at 240 miles.
Of course, the Q6's real rival will be the Tesla Model X, which the Silicon Valley company says will launch later this year.
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Unlike the Model X, however, the Audi Q6 will be adapted from a conventional vehicle platform and offered with gasoline and diesel engines as well as the e-Tron drivetrain. Those conventional versions may arrive before the all-electric model.
It will be distinguished from other utility vehicles in Audi's lineup by coupe-like styling. Audi released a teaser sketch last year showing a vehicle with the tall body of a traditional SUV, but with a low roof line and steeply-angled rear hatch.
Similarly-styled vehicles are already available in the form of the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, although neither is presently available with a plug-in powertrain.
Both are essentially restyled versions of existing SUVs, and it's likely that Audi will take a similar route with the Q6.
The Q6 may share at least a platform with another Audi SUV--probably either the next generation of the Q5 mid-size or the recently-launched Q7 large SUV.
MORE: Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche Electric Cars To Target Tesla Model S (Plug-In Hybrids Too) (Dec 2014)
This would follow the template of the Audi R8 e-tron, a version of the second-generation R8 adapted to electric power.
Development of the R8 e-tron was a long and torturous process for Audi, but it may have helped lay the groundwork for the somewhat larger-volume Q6 e-tron.
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