Two more electric vehicles are being added to the growing list of vehicles planned by Volkswagen AG, this time an all-electric e-Tron grand tourer that will be the size of Audi’s A4 sedan, and an electric Q2 L compact crossover.
To be released in 2023, the all-electric A4-sized sedan will join Audi’s e-Tron SUV which it launched last year, an e-tron Sportback which is yet to be launched and the Q4 E-tron concept which is due to go into production in late 2020 and was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month.
The details were confirmed by Audi’s design chief, Marc Lichte, who told Auto Car that: “There will be an E-tron GT in the [A4- sized] segment as well. We’re working on this right now.”
It will be built on the brand’s PPE architecture, which is underpinning its foray into electromobility.
Along with the original e-Tron, the Q4 and the A4 e-Trons, Audi are also trotting out a GT which Lichte says will become its “halo car” – the overriding representative of the brand’s electric drivetrain division.
Audi is also soon to launch a Q2 L e-Tron in China, it said in a press release prior to the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
That vehicle is due for release in China this year, and it has already been spotted testing according to Motor Authority.
The shift to electromobility by Audi is just part of a wider strategy being implemented by its parent company, Volkswagen AG, which is planning to add 70 electrified vehicles to its auto offerings by 2030, injecting a total of €30 billion ($A48 billion) to do so.
Other recent electric vehicles announced by the group include 2 electric and 4 PHEVs from Spanish brand Seat, and 16 all-electric models it will develop in collaboration with American auto giant Ford.
As with other European brands, the brand which is famous for its “four rings” suffered financial setbacks in 2018 largely due to the changeover to the introduction of strict WLTP testing standards, and as such has now announced a new “Transformation Plan” strategy which it hopes will generate funds to continue its transition to electric mobility.
“Customers will change over to electric cars faster and more widely than we initially expected,” said Audi chief Bram Schot recently in a statement regarding the brand’s realignment strategy.
“This is also demonstrated by the extremely positive response to the Audi e-tron and to the Q4 e-tron concept, which we presented … at the Geneva Motor Show. The economies of scale of our Group are crucial advantages for us. We have already expanded our electric roadmap and will now offer about 30 electric models by 2025.”
By the end of 2020, Audi plans to release a total of 12 electrified vehicles covering all auto segments.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model 3 and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.