New concept revealed

Audi’s electric mobility offensive continues in 2019 with the unveiling of a new, compact SUV with all-electric drive. The Audi Q4 e-tron concept was introduced to the world at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, just a year after a heavily disguised Audi e-tron made its international debut at the same show. 

There’s no mistaking the Q4 e-tron concept’s pedigree even at a glance. The Singleframe with the four rings are obvious, as are the e-tron design elements. The accentuation of the rocker panel area between the axles, where the battery and thus the powerhouse of this SUV is located, is a typical feature of the e-tron, while the large 22-inch wheels leave no doubt about the potential of the Audi e-tron concept.

The striking broad light band that connects the two lamp units on the rear end of the Audi Q4 e-tron concept was incorporated to reflect an element of the Audi e-tron. The relation within the e-tron family becomes visible even here and this also applies to the inside of the lights, where the significant sweep of the LED segments is also reminiscent of an element of the vehicle’s older brother. 

Even the exterior paint on the concept vehicle builds on the environmentally friendly ideal, the ‘Solar Sky’, shade of blue changes depending on the angle of the light, is its self a sustainable innovation. Specially developed environmentally friendly conditions for the Q4 e-tron concept, the paint, effectively reflects a short-wave fraction of sunlight, near the infrared spectrum. This reduces the build-up of heat on the surface of the body and the interior significantly, meaning greater comfort in the interior and a reduction in the energy needed required for the air conditioning on hot days. This power saving likewise improves the range and the global carbon footprint of the Q4 e-tron concept.

Inside, the Q4 e-tron concept is a veritable space ship and that sense of spaciousness is underlined by the colour scheme, with light, warm colours dominating the upper section of the cabin, and dark carpet in the floor section providing a contrast. The headlining, the window pillars and the upper section of the door rail and dash panel are fitted with white and beige microfiber textiles and the floor covering is made of recycled materials. Instead of chrome-plated metal decor frames, the surfaces are covered with a high-quality multi-layer paint finish and the painted frosted Plexiglas on the applications creates an intensive depth effect. Four seats with integrated head restraints are upholstered with comfortable Alcantara material manufactured with exquisite workmanship with double seams stitched with thick yarn adorning the upholstery. 

The virtual cockpit keeps the vehicle’s vitals right in front of the driver – speed, charge level and navigation – while a large-format head-up display with an augmented reality function is a new feature, displaying graphical information, such as directional arrows for turning, directly on the course of the road. 

Control panels designed as touch elements on the steering wheel spokes can be used to select frequently used functions, while in the middle above the centre console, there is a 12.3-inch touchscreen on which the infotainment and vehicle functions are displayed and operated.

In addition, the centre console has been designed as a spacious storage compartment that includes a smart phone charging cradle. 

The modular electrification platform (MEB) offers a broad range of drive variants and power levels, with the performance version of the electric drive installed in the Audi Q4 e-tron concept. Two electric motors provide 225kW of system power in the Q4 e-tron concept, with power going down to the road with quattro all-wheel drive. In most cases, the Audi Q4 e-tron concept uses its rear electric motor, a permanently excited synchronous motor, in order to achieve the highest efficiency, and for those very reasons of efficiency, the drive torque is generally distributed with a rear-axle bias. 

But if the driver demands more power, the electric all-wheel drive uses the front asynchronous motor to redistribute the torque as required to the front axle. This also happens predictively even before slip occurs in icy conditions, when cornering fast, or if the car understeers or oversteers. 

The electric motor at the rear has an output of 150kW and mobilises a torque of 310Nm, while the front engine supplies the front wheels with up to 75kW and 150Nm. The system power is 225kW and the battery in the vehicle floor stores 82 kilowatt hours, which allows for a range of more than 450 kilometres according to the WLTP standard. The battery is charged with a maximum of 125 kilowatts and as a result, it takes little more than 30 minutes to return to 80 percent of the total capacity.

The Q4 e-tron concept accelerates from zero to 100km/h in just 6.3 seconds, reaching an electronically governed top speed of 180km/h. Its large battery with a capacity of 82 kilowatt hours takes up almost the entire space in the underbody area between the axles, giving a range of over 450 kilometres – in line with the WLTP standard – setting the benchmark in its class. 

The low positioning of the battery and drive components are  a positive for the vehicle’s handling characteristics. The battery system weighs 510 kilograms and the centre of gravity of the Audi Q4 e-tron concept is therefore at a similar level to that of a sedan with a conventional drive system. Axle load distribution is perfectly balanced at almost 50:50. The front wheels of the Q4 e-tron concept are guided on a MacPherson axle with adaptive dampers, while in the rear, there is a multi-link axle with separate springs and adaptive dampers. 

The MLB and MQB – modular longitudinal platform and modular lateral platform represent a great success story in all segments of Audi and the Volkswagen Group. Previous platforms were designed primarily for the use of combustion engines, but the modular electrification platforms are designed specifically and exclusively for vehicles with electric drive systems. Axles, drives, wheelbases and the interaction between all components are selected and adapted specifically for e-mobility and the placement of the large-volume battery units and their geometry can be optimised without having to make concessions to other drive concepts that must always be taken into account in the MLB and MQB. 

At the same time, huge synergy potential can be opened up with the MEB. This platform serves as the basis primarily for electric cars in the high-volume A segment and allows the best technology available to be developed jointly across brands and used in many different electric cars. In particular, the MEB also helps electric mobility to break through even in the particularly price-sensitive compact segment. 

Audi launched its electric offensive with the world premiere of the all-electric SUV Audi e-tron in September 2018. By 2025, Audi will offer 12 vehicles with all-electric drive in the most important markets worldwide and achieve roughly one-third of its sales with electrified models. 

Later this year, the Audi e-tron Sportback will be presented, and the Audi Q2L e-tron, which was designed specifically for the Chinese market, will roll off the assembly line. The presentation of the production version of the four-door high-performance coupé Audi e-tron GT concept, which is being developed at Audi Sport GmbH, is planned for the second half of 2020, while the compact Audi Q4 e-tron is to make its production debut at the same time. With this offer, Audi now covers all important market segments with all-electric drive vehicles, from the A segment to the full-size class, just under two years after the launch of the first electric car.