Audi has revealed the new Q4 Sportback e-tron concept, a ‘coupé’ version of the Q4 e-tron concept that was revealed at last year’s Geneva motor show.
Like its sister design study, the new Sportback variant is set to enter series production in 2021 as the seventh fully electrified Audi.
“With the Q4 e-tron concepts we are outlining our plans to cascade e-tron technology into the compact SUV class, and I think these studies clearly show that we will be downsizing without in any way downgrading,” says boss of Audi UK, Andrew Doyle. “Like the two e-trons that paved the way for them both versions are hugely attractive interpretations of the SUV and Sportback brief underpinned by the very latest electrification technology delivered with characteristic Audi quality and ingenuity.”
The two Q4 e-tron concepts are notable as the first Audi models to be built on the Volkswagen Group’s modular electrification platform (MEB), which will provide the foundations for numerous electric vehicles from the compact class upwards in the future.
Their measurements are almost identical – they share the same 1.9-metre width and 2.77-metre wheelbase, but at 4.6 metres in length and 1.6 metres in height the Sportback is fractionally longer and lower, with just one centimetre separating the duo in each dimension.
The two concept cars are also twins in technological terms, and give a clear indication of the direction Audi engineers are taking for the powertrain of ‘performance versions’ of the series production model. Two electric motors mobilise 225 kW of system output that delivers 302 bhp and 306 lb-ft of torque, which is handled via quattro all-wheel-drive. Both versions of the Q4 accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 6.3 seconds and are restricted to a top speed of 111 mph.
Spanning almost the entire length of the underbody area, the large battery that brings the Q4 Sportback e-tron concept to life has a capacity of 82 kilowatt hours, giving a WLTP-certified range of up to 279 miles. Versions with rear-wheel drive will push on even further, covering a range of up to 310 miles based on WLTP test data.
Audi launched its electric offensive with the world premiere of the all-electric e-tron SUV back in September 2018. By 2025, the German brand aims to offer over 20 models with all-electric drive and achieve roughly 40 per cent of its sales with electrified models.
