Audi’s first ever all-electric model, the e-tron SUV, was originally going to be unveiled in just a few weeks at an event in Brussels on August 30. However, those plans were scrapped after Audi’s CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested following allegations he was tampering with evidence during the Volkswagen Dieselgate investigation. Consequently, the e-tron's much-anticipated debut was delayed, but we now know the new reveal date.
Audi has announced the e-tron will debut on September 17 at an event in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that means Audi's Jaguar I-Pace fighter will be revealed a few weeks after its chief rival Mercedes-Benz shows the ECQ to the world on September 4 in Stockholm, Sweden. Full specifications for the e-tron will be detailed on Audi’s US website on the day of the event, including pricing, allowing customers to configure their e-tron. From September 17, customers will be able to reserve the e-tron with a refundable $1,000 reservation fee. After customers place a reservation, they will be able to track it online with their local dealer. More details about this system will be revealed at the San Francisco event.
“We’re introducing a premium, customer-centric vehicle in a premium, customer-centric way,” said Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America. “With our owners and our dealers, this process allows us to offer transparency from reservation and build all the way through delivery.”
As well as announcing the debut date and reservation details, Audi also released a new teaser image of the electric crossover’s silhouette covered under a sheet. It isn’t very revealing, but from the pre-production prototype shown at the Geneva Motor Show we know it will have a singleframe grille, small air intakes and slender headlights.
Audi has also previously confirmed the crossover will have a drag coefficient of 0.28. it will also be the first production model available with futuristic “virtual exterior mirrors,” which act as camera mirrors broadcasting footage to OLED displays mounted on the door panels. As for powertrain details, Audi says the e-tron will be powered by two electric motors and a 95 kWh battery pack providing a range of 248 miles on a single charge.
Customer deliveries for the e-tron are expected to start in early 2019. It will be the first of three fully electric vehicles Audi will debut by 2020, with nearly 30 percent of its customers in the US anticipated to go electric by 2025.
