Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback concept unveiled
Slinky design study boasts 500km range and previews production model scheduled for global launch in 2021The Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback will be one of 25 EVs Audi plans to introduce by 2025 – but it’s anticipated to reach Australia much sooner.
Audi previously revealed the Q4 e-tron SUV as a concept at the 2019 Geneva motor show, but this latest design study, revealed last week, is the low-roof version known as the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.
Audi has form for developing its ‘coupe’ models alongside the regular-roofed models, among them the larger e-tron SUV that is definitely headed to Australia.
Finished in Kinetic Grey, the Q4 e-tron Sportback is very similar in dimensions to the mainstream Q4, both cars around 4.6 metres long on a wheelbase of 2.77m and measuring a width of 1.9 metres.
Audi designers opted for 22-inch alloy wheels for the latest concept, complemented by muscular, radiused wheel arches all around and a thin roofline for the vehicle’s ‘top hat’. The manufacturer advises that with a drag coefficient of 0.26Cd, the Q4 e-tron Sportback slips through the air slightly more efficiently than the high-roofed Q4 e-tron SUV.
Both the Q4 variants are based on the Volkswagen Group’s modular MEB platform, with a flat floor that frees up legroom for the occupant of the centre/rear seat position.
Without a direct mechanical link between the two electric motors, the transmission tunnel that’s a necessary evil in conventional cars wasn’t necessary for the Q4 e-tron Sportback. The 510kg battery sits under the floor of the Audi SUV, located precisely for a 50:50 weight distribution from front to rear.
In keeping with the earlier concept, the Q4 e-tron Sportback will be driven by two electric motors, one for each axle, offering peak combined power of 225kW. The motor at the rear is a synchronous motor, while the front motor is an asynchronous type.
Audi claims that both Q4 variants will sprint to 100km/h from a standing start in 6.3 seconds. And also according to Audi, the production version of the Q4 e-tron Sportback – scheduled for global launch next year – will be good for a range of 450km before the 82kWh battery needs recharging, based on the WLTP combined-cycle test.
And a range as long as that will be welcome in Australia – presuming the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback makes it here as a series production model.
We’re betting it will...
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