Audi plans to improve its E-tron and E-tron Sportback SUVs with a new-generation battery, affording them longer ranges, as a part of their facelifts in the course of the latter half of 2022.
Proven off in near-complete prototype kind by the German model, it’s aiming to increase the shelf lifetime of the flagship siblings till at the least 2025, after they’re set to get replaced by an all-new SUV, presumably referred to as the Q8 E-tron.
Each variants of the up to date E-tron – the SUV and rakish-roofed Sportback – will even get subtly overhauled styling, with a new-look grille, revised bumpers and redesigned headlight clusters among the many updates.
Together with the brand new battery, the E-trons are earmarked to obtain extra environment friendly electrical motors and an upgraded electronics system that may allow better power recuperation amongst different enhanced features.
Autocar has been advised by sources inside Audi that the upgrades to the powertrain will increase vary to greater than 373 miles for each variants. By comparability, the 95kWh battery presently used delivers a most vary of 249 miles.
The primary two fashions in a rising vary of electrical Audi fashions, the E-tron and E-tron Sportback had been launched to the UK in 2019 and 2020 respectively. They’re based mostly on a modified model of Audi’s MLB structure, which was initially developed for ICE automobiles, making them inherently extra compromised than a completely EV-specific creation.
The mid-life improve for the SUVs is deliberate regardless of the pending arrival of the Q6 E-tron, which relies on the brand new EV-specific PPE platform that was developed in an engineering three way partnership between Audi and Porsche.
“There will likely be a facelift for the E-tron SUV and the E-tron Sportback,” a high-ranking Audi official advised Autocar. “They may each be considerably upgraded with numerous technical updates that may additional improve their competitiveness.”