When Roger Penske said that the E-Tron was too expensive in November, Audi pretty much brushed it off, saying that it was happy with E-Tron sales for a car that starts at around $100,000. Except today it said that it was lowering the price of the base 2021 E-Tron by several thousand dollars.
The 2021 also has more range, or 29 km more range to be exact or a total of EPA-estimated 357 km and 351 km on the sportback version. All through various optimisations, according to Audi.
The price was the bigger shocker, as Audi said it would be slashing the E-Tron’s base price by around $12,000, a move you almost never see from automakers, and especially by that much.
The new base price of $US65,900 ($91,074) undercuts both Tesla Models S and X pretty significantly while being a few thousand more than the performance version of the Model Y.
Audi says that the newer E-Tron will actually be a new trim level, called Premium. Here are all the trims for 2021:
And if you want to know a little more about how Audi achieved better range, this is from its release:
For a more efficient configuration, thanks to a number of optimizations, the front electric motor is able to be entirely disengaged, dramatically reducing power usage when not needed. Only when the driver demands more power or traction do both motors spring into action, providing the surefootedness of Audi quattro® technology and the powerful dynamics Audi is known for.
In addition, the usable amount of the high-voltage battery has increased for the model year 2021 e-tron lineup. The battery in the Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback have a total capacity of 95 kWh and now gives customers access to a net energy figure of 86.5 kWh — almost 3 kWh more than 2019 e-tron model.
That 357 km of range still isn’t terribly impressive, given that most Teslas are into the 300s, but it’s also all you really need. According to Automotive News, Audi sold 2,872 E-Trons in the first half of 2020, or 57 per cent more compared to the previous year.