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NEW AND FUTURE CARS
DC charging port—when you
can find one, that is. The good
news is that when you do,
Audi offers 1,000 kW-hr of free
charging for owners via the
Electrify America network.
The E-Tron is serving as the
vanguard of multiple E-Tron-
badged models to come from
Audi, including what are
expected to be production
versions of the E-Tron GT
sedan and Q4 E-Tron
crossover concepts the
and cars equipped with
supplemental 48-volt systems
designed to reduce the load on
traditional powertrains. On the
cabin tech side, Audi continues
with its Virtual Cockpit, in
addition to a new generation
of its MMI infotainment
system, which is highlighted
by a haptic touchscreen setup.
In case you were wondering,
Audi still makes cars that
burn fossil fuels only, and it’s
in the process of launching
the updated version of its
Q3 compact crossover for
the U.S. market, with a more
powerful 228-horse 2.0-liter
turbo-four paired with an eight-
speed automatic transmission.
On its heels will be a face-
lifted Q7 full-size crossover
that’s expected to crib elements
of the Q8’s exterior design as
the primary update.Audi Sport is also pushing
ahead with its plan to bring
more hyped-up RS cars here
to America, and we anticipate
that new versions of the
RS6 and RS7 will be here
sometime in 2020. Rumors
suggest the RS7 will still come
with Audi’s wicked 4.0-liter
twin-turbo V-8 under the
hood pushing 600-plus horses,
with a hybridized version
potentially in the mix later in
its life cycle. Another rumor
making the rounds is that the
RS6 might actually arrive in
Avant form, which is good
news for enthusiasts pining
away for more wagons. On the
crossover side, we hear that
the Q3 and Q8 will get RS-
tuned versions as well, which
would bookend Audi’s U.S.
crossover lineup with a couple
of super models. AMautomaker recently rolled out
onto auto show stages. We’re
particularly smitten with the
2021 E-Tron GT, and it’s easy
to understand why given that
it will be tuned by Audi Sport,
is expected to push as much as
590 horsepower, and should
be able to touch 60 mph in as
little as 3.4 seconds.
Then there’s the supercar,
the King Kong of the E-Tron
clan previewed in the form
of the PB18 E-Tron concept
Audi unveiled at last year’s
Monterey Car Week. The PB18
was meant as an homage to
Audi’s innovative R18 E-Tron
hybrid race cars, only with a
fully electrified powertrain.
The four-ring crew was
throwing around 0-60 times of
less than 2 seconds, 612 lb-ft
of total system torque, and
more than 300 miles of range.
It remains to be seen whether
Audi will actually produce
something like it, but wewouldn’t be shocked (yes, we
went there again) if it did.
The sure bet, though, is that
Audi will follow through on its
pledge to electrify 25 percent
of its lineup by 2025 through
its E-Trons; plug-in hybrid
versions (to be badged TFSI e)
of several of its mainstream
models that should supply 20
to 30 miles of pure electric
range when fully charged;E-Tron GTPB 18 E-Tron Concept