In spite of selling a full range of passenger vehicles from the A1 city hatch to the A8 luxury sedan as well as the Q-series, Audi New Zealand recognises that more than 70% of new car sales year-to-date have come from its SUV models, a trend which will continue.
The arrival of the coupe-like e-tron 55 S-line Sportback with a retail price of $169,900, is just another step in the brand’s journey to have full battery electric vehicles (BEV) make up more than 30% of its annual sales here by 2025.
In 2019 Audi New Zealand sold a total of 92 e-tron 55 SUV models and 43 A3 e-tron hatches and it expects those numbers to grow this year.
It’s been a busy year for the four-ring brand, because around the COVID-19 business interruptions, 2020 has seen 20 new or facelifted Audi models launched in the New Zealand, and there is yet more to come in 2021.
Presales for the stunning Audi e-tron GT will begin in January 2021 with the New Zealand launch expected in mid 2021. Audi New Zealand sales operations manager Jarrod Ho interestingly refers to the forthcoming all electric GT coupe as the “collision of Audi Sport and electrification.”
It is the first crossover vehicle yet designed by Audi Sport says the brand.
The hotter Audi e-tron S and e-tron Sportback S with their three-motor powertrains which pump out 370kW/973Nm are due to arrive in the third quarter of 2021, and the more volume focussed Audi Q4 e-tron SUV and Q4 e-tron Sportback with 225kW powertrain will likely arrive into New Zealand in early 2022.
STYLISH YET EFFICIENT
The latest entrant to the Audi Sportback family, the e-tron 55 mirrors its SUV twin by offering twin electric motors and quattro all-wheeldrive with a power output up to 300kW and 664Nm of torque and a range of up to 446km from a single charge.
It runs the latest quattro electric drivetrain which primarily directs power to the rear wheels and to all four when conditions demand. On the road this setup proved to give the e-tron an even more engaging drive at low speeds in the urban environment.
Audi says the regenerative brake by wire system in the e-tron 55 Sportback provides up to 0.3g of brake force which is sufficient for 90% of normal day to day driving.
But more importantly the new e-tron Sportback is capable of charging at up to 150kw at a DC (direct current) charging station. Stopping briefly at the new ChargeNet 300kW station in Bombay, Franklin, allowed us to ‘top up’ the cars charge on route to a lunch stop in Raglan.
Had we waited 30 minutes the car would have charged itself up to 80%.
Alternatively, should owners wish to charge at home, and according to Audi, 80% of owners already do this, the brand provides a 7.2kW charger (32a, 1 Phase) which will theoretically charge the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery pack from 0 to 100% in 12 hours, or 36km of range per hour of charge.
Audi New Zealand has developed its own key fob to be used in conjunction with the ChargeNet network and owners will also have access to a dedicated smart phone app which will allow them to better manage the state of charge of their vehicle, as there are now more than 200 DC sites across New Zealand.
The e-tron 55 S-Line Sportback sits 13mm lower than SUV and the co-efficient of drag is 0.25 rather than 0.27 for the SUV, but the more sleekly styled body reduces cargo capacity by 60 litres to 615 litres with the rear seats in place and 1665 Litres when folded down.
Inside the standard S-Line package treats the front occupants to sports style seating trimmed in embossed Valcona leather with heating and cooling functions as well as a black headliner, privacy glass, and the usual S-Line emblems and scuff plates finished in aluminium.
The Audi e-tron 55 S-Line pictured above in Antigua Blue metallic wears the standard 21- inch turbine style black partly polished alloy wheels.
