The Audi e-tron Quattro Concept. Source: Audi
Take a look at Audi’s current lineup and you’ll see a sharp array of cutting-edge vehicles. The A6 and A7 have been honed and perfected and are among the sleekest, cleanest looking sedans in the segment; the A3 offers Audi’s angular styling in a smaller package, the new TT might as well be a baby clone of the new R8, and the brand-spanking new Q7 is more muscular and tough-looking than ever. Then there’s the Q5.
The Q5 began life in 2008 (as an ’09 model year), and hasn’t really changed much since. It’s the same car beneath that it was six years ago, and though it’s had some minor attention paid to the exterior, it’s largely the same as it was when debuted. In one of the most hotly-contested segments in the field, that simply won’t do — and after the lion’s share of a decade, Audi’s finally going to do something about it.
The Audi e-Tron Quattro Concept. Source: Audi
“Audi will present the successor of the Audi Q5 next year, thus continuing with the next chapter of its SUV success story,” the company said in a statement. “A significant proportion of our investment is naturally in the field of alternative drive systems,” stated Stadler. “In 2018, the first large‑series battery‑electric vehicle of the brand with the Four Rings will be launched, based on the Audi e-tron Quattro concept.”
Despite Audi’s unfortunate proximity to Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal (which it also ended up ensnared in), the brand will continue to pour investment dollars into furthering its alternative powertrains. A new Q5 will also be joined by a new Audi Q2, which would undercut the already-small Q3 as a part of Audi’s 3 billion Euro investment.
And Audi SQ5. Source: Audi
To help ensure that the new possibly-battery-electric SUVs will find homes, Audi has also announced that it will use a page out of Tesla’s playbook and develop plans to give drivers access to a nationwide, 150-kilowatt fast-charging network. On the topic of the latter, Tesla’s Model X SUV — the first commercially viable, production SUV EV — has Audi’s crosshair pointed at its back.
That charging network will be key to Audi’s goal of getting 25% of its sales to electric vehicles by 2025. That’s now less than 10 years away, and Audi doesn’t yet have a pure electric vehicle on the market in the United States. By 2020, Audi will expand its model range to include 60 different automobiles, the company said.
The Audi e-Tron Quattro Concept. Source: Audi
The rush to electrify isn’t an Audi-specific thing, nor is the focus on EVs: The Volkswagen family is getting on board with both. VW is expected to reveal an electric utility concept in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and plans are already in place for a new Tiguan to replace the current aging model (which happens for the underpinnings for the Q5 as well). The strategy will hopefully play into the two strongest trends in automotive markets right now: Battery-electric vehicles, and SUVs.
Audi has a long fight ahead of it (ask Tesla), especially if oil prices stay depressed into the coming years. Audi’s next electric SUV sounds promising now — 310 miles per charge, three motors, and angular aggressive styling — but there’s no telling where the competition — namely Tesla — will be in three years when it makes its expected landing.
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