Autocar December 05, 2018

THE TRAVAILS OF General Motors might not seem all that relevant to UK car buyers. After all, the US firm sold off its European brands, Vauxhall and Opel, last year, a move that signalled the issues the firm faced. But the scale with which GM announced it would “accelerate its transformation” – read ‘shut seven plants and cut 14,000 jobs’ – is a stark reminder of the challenge the industry faces. GM has been struggling to adjust to change in consumer demand for SUVs, and the legislation-fuelled rise of EVs – the latter despite it being ahead of the curve with the Bolt EV and (now-axed) Volt hybrid. The industry is changing at unprecedented pace. That’s a challenge for huge corporations, especially faced with new, smaller, nimble rivals less burdened by infrastructure.…

“Its 582bhp output is sufficient to accelerate from zero to 62mph in 3.5sec and attain 149mph” The Audi E-tron GT concept is “very close” in design to the production model arriving in 2020, according to the company’s design boss, Marc Lichte. The four-door sports saloon, revealed at the Los Angeles motor show, will be the third of Audi’s stand-alone electric models, following the already revealed E-tron and next year’s E-tron Sportback. A compact electric model is also due (see right). By 2025, Audi will have 12 electric models. The sleek, A7-sized E-tron GT will be the flagship of Audi’s electric line-up, falling under the custody of the brand’s Audi Sport performance arm. It will offer 248 miles of range on the WLTP cycle and, most notably, will be capable of charging at 350kW. This…

THE TRAVAILS OF General Motors might not seem all that relevant to UK car buyers. After all, the US firm sold off its European brands, Vauxhall and Opel, last year, a move that signalled the issues the firm faced. But the scale with which GM announced it would “accelerate its transformation” – read ‘shut seven plants and cut 14,000 jobs’ – is a stark reminder of the challenge the industry faces. GM has been struggling to adjust to change in consumer demand for SUVs, and the legislation-fuelled rise of EVs – the latter despite it being ahead of the curve with the Bolt EV and (now-axed) Volt hybrid. The industry is changing at unprecedented pace. That’s a challenge for huge corporations, especially faced with new, smaller, nimble rivals less burdened…

What was the biggest challenge with this car? “Packaging. The challenge is always the battery pack in the floor. This car is 138cm high. That’s lower than an A7. There is no compromise here. The E-tron GT is my biggest achievement so far.” How important is the E-tron GT for Audi’s broader design? “Every three years, we have a step [change] in design. The latest one was last year with the A8. The next step will be this. This car is the next evolution in our design in 2020, both exterior and interior.” Tell us about the grille. “For Audi, it would be a big mistake to remove the grille. So we said: why not invert it? It’s body colour. For me, it’s still an Audi but not with a combustion engine. This is the…

“Its 582bhp output is sufficient to accelerate from zero to 62mph in 3.5sec and attain 149mph” The Audi E-tron GT concept is “very close” in design to the production model arriving in 2020, according to the company’s design boss, Marc Lichte. The four-door sports saloon, revealed at the Los Angeles motor show, will be the third of Audi’s stand-alone electric models, following the already revealed E-tron and next year’s E-tron Sportback. A compact electric model is also due (see right). By 2025, Audi will have 12 electric models. The sleek, A7-sized E-tron GT will be the flagship of Audi’s electric line-up, falling under the custody of the brand’s Audi Sport performance arm. It will offer 248 miles of range on the WLTP cycle and, most notably, will be capable of…

A concept version of Audi’s upcoming compact electric car will be revealed early next year and go on sale at a similar time to the E-tron GT. Based on the MEB platform, a Volkswagen Group-wide architecture being used for VW’s ID range of EVs, the zero-emission model will be an SUV sized between the Q2 and Q3. Some design cues of the E-tron GT, such as the shoulder line, inverted grille and air intakes, are the same for the SUV, said Audi design boss Marc Lichte.…