Audi Australia wants electric SUV

Both BMW and Audi are racing to develop electric SUVs aimed at the lucrative North American market, and Audi is considering bringing its rival for Tesla's Model X to Australia.

Audi has just launched its first plug-in hybrid 'e-tron' model in Australia, the A3 e-tron, a $63,000 luxury hatchback that can drive for 50km on battery power before its petrol engine even cranks up, and the importer has plans for many more. The Q7 e-tron is next for Australia and it's understood Audi will develop plug-in hybrid versions of most model lines.

The all-electric SUV proposed for Australia will be called the Q6. It's due for a European release in 2018 and will have a 500km range.

"An all-electric SUV [for Australia]? If there's customer demand we'll look at it," said Audi Australia's general manager, corporate communications, Anna Burgdorf.

She concurred that SUVs are hugely popular – especially for prestige brands – and if anything without a combustion engine was going to work in this country, it would be an SUV.

"That's where the appetite of the market is," she remarked, but noted that Audi was testing the waters Down Under with its plug-in hybrid vehicles first.

"The important thing now is the launch of the e-trons. It's happening as we speak; cars are starting to slowly arrive. And I think certainly we've seen electric cars coming into Australia, and hybrid vehicles for a number of years now. It's not as new and unusual as it once would have been.

"We look forward to bringing Q7 e-tron here," observed Burgdorf.

Before Audi Australia will commit to an electric vehicle it will need to investigate the (lack of) electric infrastructure in this country, an issue that rival Tesla is taking very seriously. Tesla has already invested significant capital in deploying fast charge stations to link up major cities such as Melbourne and Sydney on Australia's eastern seaboard, and Audi is not averse to doing the same.

"I think from our perspective we need to understand how many people really want to buy those sorts of cars before we make decisions to invest [in electric infrastructure]. We are not afraid to make investments in the market, as we've shown with our dealer network, with the launch of e-tron.

"I don't know all the detail of what Tesla's investment is, and as a disruptor brand they are leading the way and doing an amazing job, and I think the facilities and infrastructure for EVs will increase –but it's happening slowly."

Ever since electric car maker Tesla announced the Model X, the gull-wing SUV that can tow trailers has captured the imagination of many for its pragmatic design, and is likely to be a top seller for the brand when it launches in the US later in 2015.

Tesla plans to introduce the Model X to Australia in 2016 and though electric cars have failed to ignite much interest in this country, with the likes of the Nissan LEAF and Holden Volt rarer than hen's teeth on Aussie roads – due to the high cost, low range and lack of infrastructure – an electric SUV could be more appealing to local tastes.

SUVs are hugely popular in Australia, with a sale increases trending around 14 per cent this year, and with such massive demand an electric SUV is likely to attract more attention than a sedan, for example – even a sedan selling as strongly as Tesla's Model S is reputed to be selling. It's a similar situation around the world – explaining the rationale for the savvy prestige brands from Germany jumping on the bandwagon.