Audi’s ‘Tesla competitor’ e-tron Sportback concept spotted on a garage roof in Hamburg
Just a few days ago Audi put up a Tesla-taunting billboard for their e-tron Sportback all-electric vehicle concept, and today we’ve received spy video of the car driving at low-speed on a garage roof in Hamburg, Germany.
The car looks quite good in the video – a bit like the FF 91 prototype, but maybe a little “less weird.” The LED strip on the rear in particular is reminiscent of the FF 91.
The e-tron Sportback concept is intended for production release in 2019, and will likely compete with the Tesla Model Y and other vehicles in that smaller crossover class.
I call it a “concept” because while Audi claims they plan to produce the car starting in 2019, over the last decade the company has released so many press releases announcing and canceling various electric models that I can’t even keep track anymore. So until Audi gets it together and actually puts rubber on pavement, and puts vehicles in the hands of owners, I’m still skeptical of their plans – even when rolling models are spotted like in this instance.
Maybe I’m being uncharitable, but when I saw the R8 e-tron eight years ago at the LA Auto Show, which Audi promised would be in production by 2012 and “would not be some watered-down version,” I actually believed their claims. And yet, so far the only consumer-available Audi e-tron model has been the A3 e-tron PHEV, with its piddling 8.8kWh battery. Which certainly seems a bit “watered-down” from all the big promises Audi has made, especially considering the resources available to them being attached to VW, the largest automaker in the world, and considering that their workers really want to build EVs too. So I’m not holding my breath, but hopefully they can actually get something done this time.
Anyway, watch the video below
Article by: Jameson Dow / electrek.co