Sneaky sleeky SUV…
The Audi e-tron Sportback concept, which wowed the world when it debuted in Shanghai this past April, was spotted earlier this week sneaking around on a rooftop carpark in Hamburg, Germany. There’s little information to be gleaned from this surprise outing (perhaps they were testing height clearance), though it’s certainly intriguing as to why this highly-desirable concept car was on a rooftop carpark in the middle of the day.
The e-tron Sportback is being considered by Audi as the spearhead for its electrification efforts, taking the reigns from other e-tron branded concepts in the past. The Sportback concept, undoubtedly a model that appeals more to the heart than the head, will follow the market launch of a more usable daily-use type e-tron model that will make it to market in 2018. That car will pack a 370kW powertrain with over 500km of range, and the Sportback is expected to retain that powertrain when it hits the market sometime soon after (rumours say around 2019).
While it has been previously posited that the e-tron Sportback may simply be a design study, seeing the car out in the open like this suggests that it could be more than that, with serious intentions to bring it to market. Without any direct (electric) competition, the e-tron Sportback would have to do battle with the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Coupe, though it could be argued that the Sportback concept appears to carry the SUV-coupe brief better than its rivals.
The Sportback, importantly, previews some design details that may find their way onto production Audis in the near future. Things like the full-width rear light design is already being grafted onto the incoming Audi A8 limousine, while there may be a future for elements like the recessed singleframe grille (which actually sits within a larger intake space). As for the greater e-tron offensive, Audi board member Dr. Dietmar Voggenreiter said that “We are well-equipped for rapid growth (in the EV sector). In the next five years, we will be offering five e-tron models in China, including battery-powered vehicles with ranges well in excess of 500-kilometres, such as the Audi e-tron Sportback.”
Check out our gallery below for more drool-inducing photos of the gorgeous e-tron Sportback concept. And for more information on Audi, check out our Showroom.
