Thursday 15th March 2018

Audi to launch Tesla rivalling e-tron GT

New four-door sports car to be based on the same platform as Porsche's Mission E

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There are two common objections during any discussion of Tesla's success. One, that it has yet to post any real profits and two, that it is merely enjoying a period in the sun before the 'established manufacturers' sort themselves out and enter the electric segment in a serious way. Well, after Audi's annual press conference, we're a big step closer to seeing how true the later statement is.

The likes of Polestar and Porsche have been touting all-electric models for quite some time, but in announcing its new e-tron GT, Audi has become arguably the most mainstream luxury marque to go up against the Tesla Model S. It's not just Tesla that Audi's taking aim at, though, the e-tron GT being but one of 20 electrified models set to feature in its line-up by 2025.

According to Audi, the four-door sports car will be 'highly dynamic', previewing the future direction of the company's performance division. Brand chairman Rupert Stadler adding: "We interpret sportiness very progressively with our fully electric e-tron GT, and this is how we will take our high-performance brand Audi Sport into the future."

Stadler revealed that the car will be based on the same 'J1' platform as Porsche's Mission E, collaboration on the development of which has "reduced development costs by a three-digit million Euro amount".

The Mission E is also expected to hit showrooms in 2020, featuring 800V fast-charging technology - allowing an 80 per cent charge in just 15 minutes - and dual electric motors producing a combined 600hp. This should be good for a 0-62 time under 3.5 seconds, performance which could well be replicated by the e-tron GT.

Other titbits from Audi's press conference included the revelations that 2017 was a "very challenging year" for the company as it continued to deal with the fallout of dieselgate, while the switch to the new WLTP fuel economy test also proved "extremely challenging". Against this backdrop came the announcement that all core Audi models will soon be offered with "at least mild hybrid" engine options.

Despite its difficulties, and sales only increasing by 0.6 per cent on the previous year, Audi also announced record profits for 2017, up by 57 per cent to £4.15 billion.

[austinsmirk]

I'm still not interested unless they do an LPG version, in case I want to drive 700 miles in one go.

[RumbleOfThunder]

Profits of £4bn? Surely that's turnover.

[chris4652009]

RumbleOfThunder said:

Profits of £4bn? Surely that's turnover.

Surely

[corden]

4bn profit appears to be legit. https://www.ft.com/content/0823b6dc-bb01-11e7-8c12...

[Resolutionary]

Inb4 'inert / numb handling' comments.

[GT119]

Audi make nearly 2 million cars a year with annual revenues approaching EU20 Billion.

[PhantomPH]

chris4652009 said:

RumbleOfThunder said:

Profits of £4bn? Surely that's turnover.

Surely

Nope - profit. Not sure if that's the EBITDA figure or net...suspect the former. Wouldn't say no!

[crashley]

chris4652009 said:

Surely

They produced near as damn it 2m cars last year if that helps you make sense of it?

[TimeForAZafira]

crashley said:

chris4652009 said:

Surely

They produced near as damn it 2m cars last year if that helps you make sense of it?

Christ - that will fund an awful amount of shiny shoes, hair gel, dolly birds on reception and 'My Business Manager's.

[richthebike]

TimeForAZafira said:

crashley said:

chris4652009 said:

Surely

They produced near as damn it 2m cars last year if that helps you make sense of it?

Christ - that will fund an awful amount of shiny shoes, hair gel, dolly birds on reception and 'My Business Manager's.

Seriously... dolly birds? This isn't the 70s.
I'm not sure if you're doing an Al Murray, or you're actually holding that world view. Either way, it's probably time to modernise a touch.

[s m]

I Robot car is what I was expecting,

Audi RSQ

[RumbleOfThunder]

That's a staggering amount of profit. I know they shift a lot of metal but didn't think the margins were that good!

[neil1jnr]

richthebike said:

TimeForAZafira said:

crashley said:

chris4652009 said:

Surely

They produced near as damn it 2m cars last year if that helps you make sense of it?

Christ - that will fund an awful amount of shiny shoes, hair gel, dolly birds on reception and 'My Business Manager's.

Seriously... dolly birds? This isn't the 70s.
I'm not sure if you're doing an Al Murray, or you're actually holding that world view. Either way, it's probably time to modernise a touch.

I think it's time you lighten up.

[stuckmojo]

I guess they don't plan to sell any of these in French speaking territories:

Etymology
From Old French estront, from Old Frankish *strunt, from Proto-Germanic *strunt- (“stump”), from *strent- (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ter- (“stiff”). Compare Dutch stront (“feces, turd”), West Frisian stront, English strunt (“tail”), Middle High German strunze (“stump”), dialectal Swedish strunt (“a bud, sprout, offshoot”).

Pronunciation
IPA(key): /e.t???/
Noun
étron m (plural étrons)

turd, crap, fecal matter

Absurd.

Edited for formatting

[SHutchinson]

I thought headline said that Aldi were about to launch it! Impressive addition to the centre aisle of oddities.

[HighwayStar]

RumbleOfThunder said:

That's a staggering amount of profit. I know they shift a lot of metal but didn't think the margins were that good!

That's platform sharing and economy of scale for you...

[hyphen]

HighwayStar said:

That's platform sharing and economy of scale for you...

Wouldn't be surprised if VW and the rest all took advantage of this platform once prices have come down for electric sports cars.

[richthebike]

neil1jnr said:

I think it's time you lighten up.

I'll keep calling it as I see it, but thanks for your input.

[unsprung]

austinsmirk said:

I'm still not interested unless they do an LPG version, in case I want to drive 700 miles in one go.

I have the impression that you're entirely serious here... whilst simultaneously being aware that, lol, there will be no LPG version of this or almost any other electric car. A sort of "Waiting for Godot", if you will.

There was an amusing chap on one thread -- some months ago, regarding this or that launch of an electric vehicle -- who wrote something like:

"This electric car will surely fail, because I commute weekly from Glasgow to Mogadishu, and I live in a lighthouse where there's no power main outside to charge the car."

[Mr2Mike]

richthebike said:

I'll keep calling it as I see it, but thanks for your input.

Then don't be surprised when you are called out for taking an obvious joke/light hearted comment so seriously.