Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Audi R8 e-tron to lead electric push


So Audi is spearheading its electric push with a car based on the R8, rather than on the A1 or A3 variants currently being developed.

The R8 e-tron will hit the roads next year in limited production - likely to be around 1000 cars, depending on demand. While there have been no hints about its price - which will join a petrol range starting at $271,500 - but mass-market sales are not the goal for the top-shelf e-tron.

The R8 has been a promotional star for the brand, and the electric version is tasked with building a similar halo to light the way for the rest of Audi's e-trons, one of which is planned for every model range by 2020.

"The R8 e-tron is more about possibilities . the car we need to show first for e-mobility is the halo," Audi corporate communications general manager Anna Burgdorf says. 

"The R8 has put Audi on the map for many reasons and to be able to show that car with an electric motor and to show what it can achieve with a sports car is extremely important in terms of what the brand can do in the future."

While the R8 is bound to be priced out of reach of the ordinary budget, Burgdorf denies spearheading with the exotic is entirely a case of simply attracting market attention to brand -- to be redirected when the more affordable end of the electric range is launched.

"It's horses for courses," she says. "Yes, small cars are potentially more what people look to buy when they think of zero emissions, but it's equally achievable with a sports car.

"It doesn't suit everybody to be in a small car. You might want a sports car but you still want to have a car that is extremely fuel-efficient. You want to be environmentally friendly. So when the R8 is available, it's a possibility."

image