ADRIAN PADEANU wrote:At the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi introduced the E-Tron Quattro to signal its electric crossover agenda. That concept will morph into a production model in 2018 and it will be followed a year later by this, the “coupe” version. The E-Tron Sportback debuting today at Auto Shanghai is yet another crossover-coupe mashup from VAG and it shares the spotlight at the show in China with two other electric concepts featuring a similar body style: the VW I.D. Crozz and the Skoda Vision E.
As hinted by Audi in the numerous teasers released in recent days, the new concept with the four-ring logo is packed with light-emitting diodes. Besides having full-LED headlights and taillights, the E-Tron Sportback has approximately 250 extra LEDs on the front bumper to the left and right of the corporate singleframe grille. These form different lighting patterns as a way to communicate with the other cars on the road. The Audi logo is illuminated by LEDs as well.
The 4.9-meter-long, 1.98-meter-wide, and 1.53-meter tall concept is not all about the LEDs, though. At its heart is a beefy electric powertrain developing 320 kilowatts (430 horsepower) or up to 370 kW (496 hp) once the boost mode is activated. It’s enough EV punch to enable the E-Tron Sportback run to 62 mph (100 kph) in a swift four and a half seconds.
If you care more about range rather than outright performance, the latest crossover-coupe concept from Audi has a large 95-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with enough juice for more than 310 miles (500 kilometers) in the rather optimistic New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
Typical concept cues include the large alloy wheels (a 23-inch set in this case), side cameras, and a minimalistic interior cabin with an all-digital instrument cluster and a generous touchscreen for the infotainment system. Sitting below it is yet another touchscreen for controlling heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), while positioned above the glove box is a fourth thin and wide screen showing details about the weather, time, and multimedia info.
Audi hasn’t said a word about where it will put together the production model, but it might share the assembly line with the non-coupe version already confirmed to be built at the firm’s factory in Brussels, Belgium.
