Audi Readying Tesla Model X Fighter
Add Audi to the list of automakers readying an all-electric luxury crossover.
The Tesla Model X hasn’t even reached production yet and the German automaker is gearing up to compete against it. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, CEO Rupert Stadler remained cautious about all-electric vehicles and believes that for the next 10 to 15 years, customers will still prefer plug-in hybrids for electrified vehicles. As for Audi’s Model X fighter, it will have a 310-mile range and will be introduced in early 2018 and Stadler said that it will be able to get 80 percent of its charge in 20 minutes suing a fast-charging station. It is rumored that the EV will be based on the company’s current Q5 but will have a new design as previewed in the image above.
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Expect the model to be underpinned by the German automaker’s second-generation MLB platform that will offer weight savings, helping increase the range of the EV. The model will also be Audi’s first mainstream electric vehicle.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Why do I hear comments like customer prefer plug in hybrids that stamens is so wrong. Please do not speck for your customers. What we want is an end to the combustion engine. We want full electric cars busses, trucks, etc. If you value our business now and in the future you take this route not the hybrid route. If not you may find you could quickly find you may lose customers. You only need to look at how many people have placed orders for the teals x model before it has even gone into production. I have never know so many people put a large deposit down on a new model without a track record before. Make no bouts about this is a revolution for the industry that is only going to pick up speed anyone not joining the revolution will get left behind. That is my assessment I am a 50 year old engerineer who followers what is happing in tech and trends. You also have a responsibility to the environment to do what is best for you future customers how not only want a go product but also what to know is good for the environment. Regards Andy Taylor
I don't understand everyone's fascination with electric cars. The only real benefit is instant torque. If you say that it's good for the environment, its not entirely. Plug in electricity still produces a lot of green house gasses with the main source of power coming from coal which is far more CO2 dense then petroleum. If you say it reduces our dependance on foreign oil, that's true, but now we'll be dependent on coal and it won't take long before we restrict our own production, creating coal reserves, and become dependent on foreign coal.