What Can We Expect from VW’s Launch of the Audi Q5 e-Tron?

Following the publication of internal documents relating to the Volkswagen Group’s strategic plan for the next five years, some media have noted that a model appears in the company’s electrification schedule whose launch has not been confirmed so far: the Audi Q5 e- Tron, which will hit the markets in 2022.

This model will be based on the modular PPE platform developed jointly by Audi and Porsche; this is one of the most exciting facts that we can expect since it shows us the potential big manufacturers can have in joining forces. The platform will be released just a few months before by the electric Porsche Macan. The Q5 e-Tron and the Macan are expected to be roughly the same car, as is already the case with the Audi e-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan.

However, something is striking about this strategy: Audi will launch the Q4 e-Tron just a year earlier, a model based on the more affordable MEB platform that will be located in the same segment as the thermal Q5: while the Q4 e-Tron will measure 4.60 meters in length, the thermal Q5 reaches 4.66 meters. This means that if the Q5 e-Tron has dimensions similar to its thermal equivalent, it will overlap with its little brother.

Nor can we lose sight of the fact that above the Q5 e-Tron will be the e-Tron, a 4.90-meter long model sitting on the MLB Evo platform, conveniently adapted to accommodate its electric powertrain. Therefore, Audi will have three 100% electric SUVs between 4.60 meters and 4.90 meters in length.

Some rumors suggest that Audi could finally rename the Q5 e-Tron as the Q6 e-Tron to mark distances with its little brother at the cost of ‘stepping on’ the superior e-Tron, which will have a relatively short commercial life (the e-Tron is still a transitional model for Audi, as it does not employ a dedicated electric platform).

With that in mind, the next Audi model to use the PPE platform may be the A5 Sportback e-Tron, a family sedan that will have the task (and will do a great job) of competing against the BMW i4, Polestar 2, and Tesla Model 3. Within the range of the brand in Germany, this model will be equivalent to the thermal A4 and A5 Sportbacks, while the Volkswagen Group itself will be a step above the Volkswagen ID.5, a similar-sized sedan but based on the MEB platform as well.

Leave a Reply