The moment of truth has arrived for Audi in the electric vehicle race. The German brand has confirmed that its long-awaited Q4 e-tron SUV will reach local showrooms by the middle of 2024, finally giving the brand a direct rival to the popular Tesla Model Y.
The Q4 e-tron, as the name implies, will be a small SUV slotting between the Q3 and Q5 petrol-powered offerings, and sit beneath the larger Q8 e-tron SUV. While Audi hasn’t revealed any details around pricing, it will almost-certainly be the brand’s most affordable electric model and will likely start around a similar price to the Model Y. Tesla’s SUV range stretches from $69,300 to $98,885, so there should be scope for Audi to produce a competitive offering.
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What Audi Australia has confirmed is the Q4 e-tron will be available in two body styles, a conventional SUV and sleeker Sportback, and will get the updates recently introduced in Europe. These include dropping the previous entry-level model, the Q4 e-tron 35, and replacing it with the e-tron 45 single-motor, as well as offering a dual-motor e-tron 45 and a range-topping e-tron 55.
The entry-level 45 is equipped with a 210kW electric motor, while the 55 is packing a 250kW pair of motors. All models get a 77kWh battery, which provides up to a claimed 562km range in the single-motor, rear-wheel drive Q4 e-tron 45 Sportback.
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Tesla currently dominates EV sales in Australia, with its Model Y and Model 3 sedan accounting for the majority of total sales. Legacy brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have struggled to compete against the new competition.
Audi has been restricted by its top-down approach, which has seen the larger, more expensive EVs introduced first, starting with the e-tron SUV (which has evolved into the Q8 e-tron) and the e-tron GT sports sedan. Audi’s local management has long maintained that the Q4 e-tron would be its first mainstream EV, opening the brand to a much wider audience with its more affordable price.
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