Audi is launching two new electric vehicles that will be the smallest and least-expensive EVs in the automaker’s lineup. The 2022 Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback will go on sale near the end of 2021, with price tags near $45,000.
Both are small SUVs and differ only in appearance. The Sportback model has a roofline that curves more aggressively than that of the standard Q4.
The Q4 has the exterior proportions of a compact SUV, but, Audi says, interior space close to that of the full-size Audi Q7. Because electric vehicles lack a traditional engine bay and store most of their moving parts beneath the vehicle’s floor, Audi was able to push the wheels far to the corners to create that immense volume.
A tall beltline and a huge (fake) grille give both SUVs a chunky-but-sleek look. This is particularly apparent on the Q4 e-tron Sportback, with its aggressively curved greenhouse. The daytime running lights have the ability to shine in several shapes, letting owners customize the car’s look a little.
Same Platform as VW ID.4
Both models ride on the same modular platform as the Volkswagen ID.4. They’ll sell in two trim levels. The Q4 40 e-tron is rear-wheel-drive only, with a single electric motor attached to the rear axle. It puts out 201 horsepower. The second is the Q4 50 e-tron, which is all-wheel-drive and has one motor per axle. It makes 295 horsepower. An 85 kWh battery pack Audi says, gives them a “manufacturer estimated range of approximately 250 miles electric driving.” But there’s no EPA range estimate yet.
Inside, drivers see both a configurable digital instrument cluster and an augmented-reality head-up display that projects information like speed and turn-by-turn directions into the driver’s view.
“This information is displayed dynamically in a large field of view, where it appears in a virtual, floating image at a perceived distance of roughly 30 feet or more from the driver,” Audi says. A Sonos premium sound system will be standard.
Audi plans to build the cars “with a neutral carbon footprint,” at a factory powered by renewable energy. “Emissions that cannot be avoided are offset by climate protection projects.” While the company hasn’t announced plans to go all-electric, it says it has designed its last internal combustion engine.
