Audi has announced it will build a luxurious new all-electric SUV that will cover more than 500km on a single charge when it goes on sale in 2018.
Making the announcement at its annual press conference in Ingolstadt, board member and engineering boss Dr Ulrich Hackenberg confirmed its new electric SUV will be based on the same MLB platform as the all-new Q7.
The new all-electric SUV rival for Tesla's upcoming Model X crossover is expected to be called the Q6 e-tron, placing it between the current Q5 and Q7 in Audi’s existing SUV range.
Size-wise this means the new Audi will be a natural rival for the soon-to-be-launched Tesla Model X, as well as the BMW X6 and upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.
Hackenberg told journalists at the press conference that the new Q6 will be“a technical light tower” for the brand when it goes on sale incorporating state-of-the-art technology that will help it travel over 500km between charges.
Looking more like a jacked-up five-door coupe rather than a traditional SUV, Hackenberg said the Audi’s new electric SUV will have a “very attractive” design hinting, perhaps, that the Q6 will pinch some of the design cues from the recent Prologue Avant concept that was shown at last week’s Geneva motor show.
According to Audi chairman, Rupert Stadler, the reason for an electric-powered luxurious SUV was driven by necessity. In the US new federal legislation requires that 15 per cent of all new cars must be electric by 2025. Currently, the new ruling applies to just eight states but is likely to win favour and become nationwide.
With no mechanical link between front and rear axles, the new SUV e-tron is expected to come equipped with four individual motors that power each wheel.
Following the launch of the all-electric version, other more conventional variants powered by internal combustion engines will join the Q6 range. Most engines will be borrowed from the Q7 range.
Hackenberg says the new SUV e-tron will be a “more passenger orientated car” hinting that the production car will major in comfort and have an innovative infotainment system. It’s possible the Q6 e-tron could also have greater levels of autonomous driving aids than any current Audi.
The Audi board member also went on so say that since the production version of the new electric SUV concept is built on the same platform as the current Q7 SUV, it will be built at the same factory, meaning “we can work with steel, with a mixture of materials and also with aluminium.”
“Mixture of materials” could mean the new Q-model might be built using lightweight carbon-fibre to reduce kerb weight and help the Q6 achieve its impressive 500km range. It’s well-known the German car-maker experimented with carbon-fibre in the construction of the new R8’s platform.
It’s not known when we’ll see the electric SUV concept again but this year’s Frankfurt motor show in September could be a safe bet.
Backing up this assumption, Hackenberg told the journalists present: “We will make a presentation soon.”