Stephan Winkelmann, head of Audi Sport, has confirmed the company will offer electrified models from the year 2020, according to a new article out of the UK.
According to a report from Autocar, Audi’s performance boss confirmed “this will start by the end of 2020, with the first car of Audi Sport, and then there will be more coming” in the next decade.
Despite the British publication touting the upcoming cars as ‘electrified vehicles’ – hinting at hybrids as well as pure electrics – Winkelmann said this “revolution” involves the introduction of “battery electric vehicles“, the term generally used for pure-electric cars.
If it’s EVs Winkelmann is referring to, it’s not the first time Audi has offered electric models under the Quattro/Audi Sport sub-brand.
The R8 supercar was actually offered in all-electric e-tron form (above) until last year, pumping out 340kW of power and 920Nm of torque from its dual-rear electric motors – allowing it to sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds.
A 92kWh battery pack allowed for a claimed driving range of around 450km, and fast charged in under two hours.
Meanwhile, Audi Sport’s boss also hinted at more go-fast SUV models.
“We are also looking into cars which are, let’s say, in a growing segment or a body segment which is growing. These are the Qs,” Winkelmann told Autocar.
“We will get more of them and we think that this is going to help us because every car we are building, and every car we are investing in, should have global visibility, so not just in Europe but in Asia and the Americas.”
Winkelmann added that the company’s turbocharged combustion engines are set to stay as long as they can, despite the push for electrification.
“We are not forgetting our icons, so we will continue to build them,” he said.
“Even if we keep in mind that electrification is important for us, legislators permitting, our turbo engines will stay because we are very proud of these.”
One of these new Audi Sport ‘Q’ models is the production version of the Q8 concept (above, top), which has been shown in both ‘regular’ and ‘Sport’ guises.
The standard version of Audi’s flagship SUV will be launched sometime in 2018, so expect the Audi Sport variant to be released either late next year or early-2019.
MORE: Audi Sport coverage
MORE: Audi news, reviews, comparisons and video
0 Response to "Audi Sport launching electrified models from 2020 – report"
Post a Comment