Earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show Audi unveiled its e-tron concept, and aside from the slightly camouflaged exterior, it’s nearly production ready. Audi’s first all-electric model will be an SUV that’s directly aimed at the Tesla Model X and it’s set to launch in the European market at the end of this year. And like the Model X, it won’t exactly be cheap. According to InsideEVs, Audi announced pricing for the production-spec e-tron SUV in Germany, where buyers will be asked to fork over at least 80,000 euros, or around $98,445 USD.
Once it goes on sale in the US, expect the base price to be around $100,000. And you know what? That’s actually a fair price, if you take the Model X into account. The Model X 100D starts at around $97,000 while the top-of-the-line P100D costs about $140,000. Audi has yet to delve into specifics regarding the e-tron’s range and other relevant factors, but we can expect it (along with the new Jaguar I-Pace) to be the Tesla’s most serious rival to date. The e-tron will also be just first of a range (no pun intended) of new Audi EVs. Starting in 2019, Audi plans to have three all-electric vehicles in its lineup, including the just announced four-door Gran Turismo.
By 2025, Audi has plans to launch more than 20 electric cars and plug-in hybrids. At the moment, the e-tron is undergoing final testing by conducting test drives on four continents where every type of extreme weather and terrain can be found. The Audi e-tron, based on the hype and concept alone, is already gathering orders. For example, Audi has already received 3,700 reservations from Norway alone. Not surprisingly, Norway also happens to be one of Tesla’s best-selling markets.
