Audi has announced the E-Tron GT, an expensive new high-performance electric sedan built on technology developed for Porsche’s first EV, the Taycan.
Due out this spring in Europe, the E-Tron GT will start at €99,800 with a top-spec RS version starting at €138,200. It will then come stateside in the summer, with the base GT starting at $99,900 and the RS beginning at $139,900.
You will get the most performance that Audi has squeezed out of an electric car to date. The standard E-Tron GT can output 350kW of power, or roughly 470 horsepower, while the RS version boasts 440kW, or about 590 horsepower. In overboost mode, those numbers jump to 522 horsepower and 637 horsepower, respectively. With overboost and launch control, the E-Tron GT can sprint to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.1 seconds, and the RS version makes that run in 3.3 seconds. Not bad for a car that weighs about 5,100 pounds.
Both models achieve that performance with a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup that’s powered by a 93kWh battery pack (with 85kWh of usable energy). The battery pack uses 800-volt technology, too, which not only lets the GT perform at high levels but will also enable faster charging. Audi says just five minutes will recover 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of range when hooked up to a high-speed charging network like Volkswagen’s Electrify America.
Both variants are built on the same compact 93.4 kWh battery system, which should be enough to give the RS and e-tron GT a range of around 232 – 238 miles, respectively. However, since it’s built on the newer 800-volt architecture that we’re starting to see in the market — such as in the Lucid Air and the Hummer EV — hurried drivers will be able to dump around 62 miles-worth of range during a five-minute long “fill up” at rates hitting 270 kW using a DC fast charger. And if you happen to be a regenerative braking master, the GT’s system can recoup up to a reported 265 kW.
The battery itself consists of 396 pouch cells divided into 33 modules (with 12 cells each). Over a standard 11 kW AC line, drivers will be able to fully recharge the GT’s cells overnight, though the company is already working on a 22 kW adapter for release shortly after these models debut. With access to a DC fast-charging station, drivers will be able to refill their energy reserves from 5 percent to 80 percent in around 23 minutes. Some 200,000 of those chargers can be found throughout Europe as part of the e-tron Charging Service program.
The GTs’ impressive range comes in part from the vehicle’s impressive 0.24 drag coefficient, matching that of the Polestar 2. The GT is able to minimize its drag so much thanks to that flat silhouette, an adjustable electronic spoiler and air inlets located in the lower section in the front. These vertical inlets push air from the nose of the vehicle into the wheel wells, cooling the brakes during high impact driving, though they stay closed generally as much as possible in order to improve airflow efficiency as it passes underneath the vehicle. The aerodynamics are further improved with the GT’s active rear spoiler. It’s electrically controlled and can deploy out to two different stages to help negate the lift caused by air flowing under the smooth underbody up from the rear of the car.
Despite being such a pricey car, the base E-Tron GT’s price tag will climb even higher for buyers who want the German automaker’s most advanced tech. Audi’s Matrix LED headlights, which have a complex mirror system that can shape the light in highly specific ways, are an option (though only in Europe). There’s also an optional heads-up display that can project information onto the windshield. All-wheel steering is available, but only as an option. Bang & Olufsen sound system.
The more expensive RS model includes some of these features, though its price can also jump depending on which wheels are fitted or if the buyer opts for a carbon-fiber reinforced roof over the standard glass option. Noise-insulating glass on the side and rear windows are also an option, as are massage seats.
Both E-Tron GTs come fitted with two displays a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch touchscreen that are powered by the latest version of Audi’s infotainment system. That means there’s an LTE Advanced chip for onboard Wi-Fi connectivity, navigation powered by Here maps, a companion smartphone app for controlling door locks and other functions, and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.
In total, the E-Tron GT is the most loaded up electric Audi to date. It’s the kind of thing that could properly compete (in some respects) with Tesla’s new refreshed Model S, and it gives deep-pocketed customers the option of Porsche Taycan-level performance in a different package.
Audi has already shipped tens of thousands of E-Tron SUVs and Sportbacks, its first electric models released in the wake of the Volkswagen Group’s Dieselgate scandal. But the extra capability afforded by Porsche’s technology could help the automaker steal away luxury car buyers who were previously put off by the lacking range of the original E-Tron. Beyond that, the E-Tron GT will now serve as the standard bearer for Audi’s push into electric vehicles, the car that all other Audi EVs will be measured against as most customers inevitably settle for something more attainable.
