Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Audi Promises New e-tron GT Concept For LA

The electric "supercar" concept will probably have four (or five) doors

Audi has a raft of new products to show us at the LA Auto Show this year. And most of them are vehicles we've seen. But it does have one trick up its sleeve, and from what little we know, it looks like it could steal the show.

The German automaker says it will unveil a new e-tron GT concept at the Californian expo next week. And though it hasn't released much in the way of actual details, it does refer to the show car as a “fully electric supercar concept” that will bring electrification to the Audi Sport lineup for the first time.

The term “supercar” typically refers to a two-door coupe or convertible. And we won't be surprised if that's the form the concept ultimately takes. But from everything we've seen so far, we've come to expect a sedan (or four-door coupe), borrowing its underpinnings from sister-brand Porsche's forthcoming Taycan and previewed by the above teaser image released this past summer.

In addition to the new e-tron crossover, Audi has applied the handle to a succession of concepts in recent years – including the e-tron Sportback concept revealed in Shanghai last year, and the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo racer designed for the popular PlayStation game.

Ingolstadt also showed the PB18 e-tron concept earlier this year up the coast in Monterey, and did a couple of R8 e-tron concepts that applied electric powertrains to its mid-engined supercar. Whatever the shape the new concept takes, it'll be joined on Audi's show stand by the new A6, A7, A8, Q8, and the aforementioned e-tron crossover – all of which are fresh for the 2019 model year and are now reaching dealers. So we don't expect any surprises there, but the new e-tron GT ought to attract its share of attention when it's revealed next Wednesday, November 28, at 1:05 pm Pacific time.