- Audi unveiled the E-Tron GT, its $100,000 flagship electric sedan.
- Its sportiest version, the $140,000 RS, claims 590 horsepower and a 0-60-mph time of 3.1 seconds.
- The E-Tron GT hits US dealerships this summer.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Audi took the wraps off of the E-Tron GT, a high-end sport sedan that’s a sibling to the Porsche Taycan and takes aim at the Tesla Model S.
The E-Tron GT, revealed through a virtual event Tuesday, will hit US dealerships this summer, Audi says. It will start at just shy of $100,000 for the base model, with another trim level retailing for around $107,000.
The top-of-the-line, high-performance RS model will cost $139,900, almost exactly the same price as Tesla’s sportiest sedan, the Model S Plaid Plus.
Although the E-Tron GT doesn’t promise quite the same extreme performance as the Plaid Plus, it’s certainly not lacking on that front. It shares its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan, as both brands fall under the Volkswagen umbrella.
Powered by two motors – one at each axle – the standard model puts out a combined 469 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque, by Audi’s estimation. The company says it can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 152 mph.
The RS version steps things up a notch with a more powerful rear motor that boosts total output to 590 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. The RS goes from 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph, Audi claims. The RS accelerates quicker than the V10-powered Audi R8 sports car, the company notes.
As for range, Audi says the E-Tron GT can travel 238 miles on a charge, while the RS model can go 232 miles. Using DC fast charging, the car can add 62.1 miles of range in five minutes or recharge from 5% to 80% battery in a little over 22 minutes, according to Audi. Tesla, for comparison, doesn’t sell a Model S with less than 390 miles of estimated range.
The E-Tron GT gets a leather-free interior as standard, featuring recycled and synthetic materials instead – although buyers can add leather as an option. It comes equipped with a 12.3-inch display for the instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch main touchscreen, a bit more restrained than Tesla’s 17-inch center screen.
Notable options include four-wheel steering, upgraded headlights, a head-up display, massaging seats, adaptive air suspension, and a carbon-fiber roof for the RS model.
Audi plans to have 30% of its US lineup be either fully electric or hybrid by 2025. The brand has made headway on that front by launching the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback crossovers – and it’s planning to roll out another battery-powered crossover, theQ4 E-Tron, later this year.
Powered by WPeMatico