Audi has teased its all-new electric grand tourer dubbed the e-tron GT, which will also be the first fully electric car the brand has built in the marque’s home country of Germany.
Assembly will begin at the new Böllinger Höfe towards the end of this year, and we are hoping to see the sleek production version of the e-tron GT emerge from its dazzling wrap in short order.
Audi’s new assembly line is reportedly decked out with a team of skilled craftspeople who have been busy honing their assembly skills with the help of VR technology.
Just like racing drivers, those on Audi’s assembly line are train on simulators.
This new vehicle also marks a first for Audi as the marque’s first EV produced in Germany. Both the e-tron SUV and Sportback rolled off assembly lines in China and Belgium, dependent on the market.
This new sporty EV will, of course, be a lower volume vehicle, and that is what the new plant is designed to cope with, perhaps we will see more niche products like an Audi R8-esque electric sports car appearing from the same plant in the future.
Audi’s electric range is shaping up for a healthy future, too, with the new e-tron Sportback arriving in Australia to a warm reception, and more products like the small SUV Q4 e-tron sharing underpinnings with Volkswagen’s ID line-up.
Electrification is the name of the e-tron game.
For now, the e-tron GT is shaping up to be a rather handsome beast. It’s difficult to comment on the surfacing hiding beneath the camouflage wrap, but you can’t deny the GT’s presence.
High-strength steel and aluminium construction will play a role in making the new e-tron GT both engaging to steer and attractive to look at. That massive ‘single-frame’ grille at the front is, in this concept form at least, really set off with orange glow-in-the-dark detailing.
Despite the different cooling needed for EVs compared to conventional ICE cars, Audi designers have done a splendid job carrying the signature styling detail over to the new e-trons, in our eyes at least.
We applaud the glow-in-the-dark details of this wrap.
The overall proportions of the GT are akin to the current A7 Sportback, with four doors and rear hatch instead of a conventional sedan boot. The e-tron GT is not an electric R8, but instead appears as a competitor to the Porsche Taycan with which it shares a platform.
That means power outputs should be around 434kW from the dual electric motors. In the Taycan, these motors are powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery for a range of about 400km in WLTP testing.
Naturally, the e-tron GT is still in concept form and as EV technology continues to improve, we may see even more impressive power and range figures when the concept turns real some time shortly.
See you soon, e-tron GT.
For Audi, the e-tron brand will be incredibly important in the future success of the brand, there are stills some transitional models like the new A3 plug-in hybrid, but the new nameplate is one that we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the future.
And if the new e-tron GT drives as good as it looks, we should be in for a real treat soon. We will know more of the sleek e-tron GT shortly as specification and pricing information become available.
