Audi e-tron: carsales Car of the Year 2020 contender

Why is the Audi e-tron a carsales COTY contender?

The Audi e-tron is not only the German premium brand’s first electric vehicle but its first electric SUV, making it a pivotal model for the Volkswagen Group and a direct rival to a swathe of upcoming luxury e-SUVs in a segment pioneered by the Jaguar I-PACE.

The long-awaited Australian release of the zero-emissions Audi e-tron in 2020 was previewed by lots of drip-fed PR material – revealing everything from the car’s fast-charging supremacy and its innovative powertrain and chassis control to its local pricing.

That pricing positions the Audi e-tron narrowly below the Mercedes-Benz EQC – the three-pointed star brand’s first entry into the EV arena.

This year is not the first time an electric SUV has been judged for carsales Car of the Year, and the Audi e-tron is unlikely to be the only EV in this year’s event.

Like the Jaguar I-PACE before it, the Audi e-tron will likely be considered by cashed-up professionals and executive types with one eye for a prestige motor car and the other eye focused on re-greening the world.

The Audi e-tron will also likely be the principal family car, but buyers will probably purchase the Audi for its combination of performance and presentation rather than any incipient off-road or towing ability.

Starting from $137,700 for the Audi e-tron 50 quattro variant, the range tops out at $169,950 for the First Edition e-tron Sportback 55 quattro.

The e-tron range includes an SUV and a ‘Sportback’ derivative with a lower roofline, and a choice of two power output levels – the e-tron 50 developing 230kW, or the e-tron 55 producing 265kW. A 71kWh battery for the e-tron 50 quattro delivers a WLTP driving range of 336km, and the 95kWh battery in the e-tron 55 quattro adds over an extra hundred klicks (446km).

Higher performance ‘S’ models will join the range in the first half of 2021, pushing the price ceiling further upmarket.

“As one of 30 electrified models coming internationally from Audi by 2025, the e-tron sets a strong precedent. An electric all-rounder if there ever was one,” carsales news editor Sam Charlwood concluded in his review of the e-tron.

As ground-breaking as the e-tron is within the Audi stable, however, it will face a tough challenge, not only against the Mercedes-Benz EQC, but also from plenty of conventional rivals – any one of which could be the carsales Car of the Year for 2020, proudly presented by Bingle.