When we drove the Audi E-Tron in 2018, representatives from the company revealed that the company’s product plan calls for the launch of no less than 12 fully electric cars by 2025. The German company traveled to the 2019 Geneva Auto Show to shed insight into one of the EVs it’s working on. Called Q4 E-Tron, the concept car previews an electric — and electrifying — production model scheduled to make its debut at the end of 2020.
The Q4’s front end adopts the design language that will characterize all of Audi’s upcoming electric models. An octagonal grille dominates the front fascia, and the frame that surrounds it underlines a pair of thin, swept-back LED headlights. We’re surprised by the SUV’s flanks, which break away from the angular shapes that characterize Audi styling and go in a softer, more rounded direction. Its back end features an elegant light bar, a styling cue shared with other recent additions to the company’s lineup of models.
Designers gave the Q4 a driver-oriented interior brimming with tech. The driver faces a digital instrument cluster that can be configured using buttons on the steering wheel. It shows key information about the car, like how much range is left in the battery pack. If recent Audi models are any indication, it can also display navigation directions, among other features. The second screen, located on the center console, lets the front passengers access the infotainment system, which looks like an evolution of the MMI Touch Response software we’ve praised in the past.
Power comes from a pair of electric motors that draw electricity from a 82-kWh lithium-ion battery pack to channel 301 horsepower to the four wheels. The Q4 E-Tron takes 6.3 seconds to reach 62 mph from a stop, and it offers nearly 280 miles of driving range on one charge. Quick-charging technology delivers an 80-percent charge in 30 minutes, a rate which should make range anxiety a problem of the past. Audi notes the electric drivetrain lowers the concept’s center of gravity, while giving it a 50/50 weight distribution. We expect it will handle like a sport sedan, not like an SUV.
Audi confirmed the Q4 E-Tron concept will reach production in late 2020 or early 2021. It will ride on an Audi-specific version of the MEB platform that will underpin dozens of Volkswagen models, including a hatchback, an SUV, and a sedan. When it goes on sale, it will join the E-Tron and the E-Tron Sportback in American showrooms. Pricing information and availability will be released closer to its on-sale date.
Updated March 5, 2019: Added full information about the Q4 E-Tron.
