Audi introduced the E-Tron last fall and it appears the company is
putting the finishing touches on a new performance variant. Spied undergoing testing on the Nürburgring, the
high-performance model has a familiar design with a few subtle changes. At the front, the prototypes have
been equipped with a modified bumper which features angular accents which
channel air into larger intakes.
They are presumably there to improve cooling
of the beefier braking system. Additional styling changes are limited, but the prototypes have large
lightweight alloy wheels that are reportedly wrapped in wider tires. Last but
not least, there’s a revised rear bumper and a new diffuser with two fins that
protrude from the bottom.
While nothing is official, Audi could have hinted at
the car’s powertrain when it unveiled the E-Tron Sportback concept in 2017. The
concept had a tri-motor setup with a single electric motor up front and two
electric motors out back. At the time, the automaker said the concept “uses a
configuration that will also be adopted in future production Audi models with
all-electric drive.” If the powertrain does carryover, we can expect the high-performance
E-Tron to have a combined output of 429 hp and 496 hp in Boost Mode.
That would be a significant improvement over the
standard E-Tron which has two electric motors that produce 355 hp and 402 hp in Boost Mode. As a result, we can expect the
performance model to be significantly faster than the standard crossover which
runs from 0-96 km/h in 5.5 seconds. The production model is slated to be unveiled next
year and it could wear either the S or RS moniker.
