JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s electric car sector, currently starved of options, is set for a recharge early next year, with Audi South Africa planning to launch three all-electric e-tron model ranges. These comprise the e-tron SUV, e-tron Sportback and e-tron GT sedan, with each offering two model derivatives.
“Across the world, the automotive industry are announcing plans to phase out combustion engines to advance the transformation of the industry for the future. As Audi South Africa we see ourselves as being in a position to contribute to this global vision, and having the responsibility to do that,” said Audi South Africa Head Sascha Sauer. “Not only are we aligned with the importance of sustainability, but we have the technology, performance and design credentials within our e-tron range, to offer our premium customers an all-electric drive that will inspire and excite,” Sauer added.
South African prices and specifications will be released closer to launch, but for now let’s take a closer look upcoming models.
The Audi e-tron SUV was revealed in 2018 as Audi’s first fully-electric model, and it takes the form of a midsize SUV that’s slightly smaller than the Q7.
The local model range will include the e-tron 50 and e-tron 55 models. Both have a twin-motor quattro all-wheel drive set-up, but they differ in terms of output and how far they travel on a charge. The 50 quattro boasts outputs of 230kW and 540Nm, and a claimed range of between 282km and 341km on the WLTP cycle. The 55 quattro treats its owners to 300kW, 561Nm and a range of between 369km and 440km.
The Audi e-tron Sportback, as its name suggests, boasts a sportier, coupe-inspired design. It offers the aforementioned 55 quattro drivetrain as the base derivative, and buyers will also be able to opt for a Sportback S tri-motor performance model, with 370kW, 973Nm and a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds.
The Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT models serve as the flagship sedan range, and share the group’s J1 architecture with the Porsche Taycan. The e-tron GT boasts 350kW and 630Nm, but can momentarily produce 390kW during a launch overboost phase, allowing a 4.1 second 0-100km/h sprint time. The livelier RS e-tron GT is good for 440kW and 380Nm (with 475kW on overboost) and 0-100 comes up in 3.3 seconds. Buyers of the e-tron GT can expect a range of about 488km on the WLTP cycle.
Watch this space for more details as they become available closer to launch.