Geneva 2019: Audi Previews Q4 E-Tron Concept, Rear-Biased Quattro Delivering 306 Hp

Six months after the launch of the Audi e-tron, the brand’s first foray into all-electric vehicles, Audi has unveiled the Q4 e-tron Concept at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show 2019. The Q4 e-tron is a smaller fully-electric SUV slotting a few segments beneath the flagship e-tron.

With the designers sculpting the concept car around the compact dimensions of 4.59 metres long by 1.9 metres wide, the Q4 e-tron Concept shares almost the same footprint with the recently announced Polestar 2 by Polestar.

Similar to the Audi e-tron, the Q4 e-tron Concept has muscular wheel arches protruding from the side of the vehicle, influenced by the classic Audi Quattro. The slim camera-based Virtual Side Mirrors are still unique to the bigger e-tron, as the Q4 e-tron uses traditional side mirrors.

A sportier rear profile from the sloping roof to the inward-folding tailgate presently seen on the e-tron is replicated in the Q4 e-tron Concept.   

We doubt the oversized 22-inch wheels in this concept will make it into production, as those sizes are only available in the company’s Q8 flagship SUV.

Powering the Audi Q4 e-tron is a pair of electric motors with mixed outputs. Mounted on the front axle is a 102 hp (75 kW) / 150 Nm electric motor that provides traction only when necessary.

During the regular commute, the main propulsion of the Q4 e-tron Concept comes from the larger 204 hp (150 kW) / 310 Nm electric motor. With the electronic control units regulating power distribution between both axles, the electric all-wheel drive is rated to deliver up to 306 hp (225 kW) of combined system output.

Audi estimates, with that amount of power, the Q4 e-tron Concept should achieve the traditional century dash in 6.3 seconds. Top speed is, however, limited to 180 km/h.

Maximum range meanwhile is estimated to be 450 kilometres, thanks to a large 82 kWh battery pack mounted between the two axles. The Q4 e-tron Concept is designed to utilize the Modular Electrification Platform (MEB) that will be used by Volkswagen Group in the future, from compact class to larger medium-sized vehicles.

Inside, the Q4 e-tron Concept only has heavily bolstered sports seats for four occupants. Audi has also incorporated touch-sensitive panels on the steering wheel to select frequently used functions. Thanks to the deletion of the traditional physical shift lever, an abundance of storage spaces can be found in between the two front seats.

Comparing the Q4 e-tron Concept to the production-ready Polestar 2, the five-door fastback goes further with an estimated range of 500 kilometres from a 78 kWh battery pack. High-performance is top priority is the Polestar 2 as 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is completed is 4.7 seconds, thanks to an output of 408 hp (300 kW) from the electric motors.

While Polestar has the Polestar 1 Hybrid GT and Polestar 2 compact fastback, Audi has planned for a very strategic, fully-electric product offence, with an e-tron model covering almost all the important sub-segments in the premium category.

• Audi e-tron, March 2019
• Audi e-tron Sportback, late 2019
• Audi Q2 L e-tron (China exclusive), late 2019
• Audi e-tron GT, end 2020
• Audi Q4 e-tron, late 2020

By 2025, the list will grow to 12 fully-electric vehicles and Audi hopes to achieve roughly one-third of its total sales with electrified models.