Audi has a number of new electric vehicles currently under development, including the A6 E-Tron. It turns out the German brand has no plans to lose the E-Tron name for its future EV products as opposed to what Mercedes-Benz intends to do with the EQ moniker.
Earlier this year, it was all but confirmed that Mercedes will soon ditch the EQ branding for its future hybrid and all-electric vehicles. There’s a very simple reason for this decision – the automaker would no longer need a separate sub-brand for its BEVs once it stops producing combustion-powered cars. Audi, however, sees no need to retire the E-Tron branding for its electric vehicles.
“No, no, no,” Audi’s design boss Marc Lichte told media representatives during a preview of the Activesphere concept when asked about a potential demise of the E-Tron name. “I think [E-Tron is] a very clear differentiation, and… there will be one differentiation more. But it’s too early to talk about it yet.”
Yes, it seems that Lichte also hinted at a potential new badge that could be used on future Audis. But what is it – is it a name for combustion models? Or hybrids? What about hydrogen? Well, we will probably know more towards the end of the year when “you will see there is even more detail which differentiates combustion engine and EVs,” according to Lichte.
Audi’s latest E-Tron-branded electric vehicle is the Q8 E-Tron which is also the brand’s flagship electric SUV. It is essentially an overhauled version of the E-Tron SUV, which was Audi’s first electric vehicle to wear the moniker. The most powerful version is the SQ8 E-Tron with a peak output of 496 horsepower (370 kilowatts) and 718 pound-feet (973 Newton-meters).
Currently, Audi is working on the Q6 E-Tron as a more affordable and smaller alternative to the Q8 E-Tron. The A6 E-Tron is also nearing the final stages of its development and we expect to see it in final and production form later this year. The same time schedule is also expected for the Q6 E-Tron and both vehicles should hit the market as 2024 models.
