Audi unveiled this week its all-electric Audi e-tron GT with a starting price of $100,000, which will go on sale in the U.S. this summer and which industry observers say will be a competition to Tesla's Model S.
"The Audi e-tron GT is the beginning of a new era for Audi. Our aim is to shape the future of electric premium mobility," Hildegard Wortmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, said at the online world premiere of the new vehicle.
The manufacturer suggested retail pricing in the U.S. for the e-tron GT quattro Premium Plus is $99,900, e-tron GT quattro Prestige will sell for $107,100, and the highest-end RS e-tron GT will cost $139,900, Audi USA said in a statement.
The price of the highest-end RS e-tron GT is very close to the price of Tesla's sportiest sedan, the Model S Plaid Plus, Business Insider's Tim Levin notes.
Preliminary manufacturer's estimated ranges based on approximation of EPA test cycles for a full charge are 238 miles for the e-tron GT and 232 miles for the RS e-tron GT. The e-tron GT produces up to 522 horsepower, while the RS e-tron GT distributes up to 637 horsepower to all four wheels, Audi USA said.
Audi's new electric sedans will be the third and fourth all-electric additions to Audi's U.S. portfolio. The German automaker looks to have a 30-percent electrified model portfolio by 2025, including fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. In addition to the e-tron and e-tron Sportback, a fifth EV-the Audi Q4 e-tron-is expected to join the Audi model range in the coming year.
"Audi aims to achieve full net CO2 neutrality across the lifecycle of its vehicles by 2050," it said.
While Audi aims to be CO2 neutral in three decades, the highest-selling U.S. carmaker, GM, said last month it was going all-in toward an all-electric future, aiming to eliminate all tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 as part of a wider strategy to become a carbon-neutral business by 2040.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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