New premium Audi electric supermini on the way

Audi is preparing a enormous expansion of its e-tron electric range around the next five years – and now a senior formal at the business has admitted to Vehicle Categorical that this wider range will extend to a tiny vehicle primarily based on the VW Group’s entry-amount EV system.

Regarded as MEB Entry, the architecture was uncovered at the VW Team once-a-year conference very last spring. It’s intended to support automobiles of all over 4 metres in length, about the very same as a Polo or an Audi A1, even though retaining down charges sufficiently for these designs to be capable to sold from all over €20,000 (£18,000).

• Audi e-tron GT thought review

Accountability for the undertaking – which is owing to provide its initially model by the end of 2022 – has been handed to SEAT and its main engineer Axel Andorff. The aim on expense-slicing has led to speculation that the system will be limited to cars from VW, Skoda, SEAT and a Chinese sub-manufacturer.

However, speaking exclusively to Vehicle Categorical, Audi’s board member for item advertising and marketing, Fermín Soneira Santos, reported that the high quality manufacturer intends to use MEB Entry as one more factor of an very broad EV portfolio – all the things from supermini-sized designs up to the e-tron GT tremendous-saloon, which is primarily based on the jogging equipment of the Porsche Taycan.

When questioned if Audi is involved in the MEB Entry undertaking with a perspective to launching a vehicle primarily based on it, Soneira Santos told us, “It is on our horizon, of course. It’s not still intended, but of course, we have a possibility to have cars on MEB, probably tomorrow on MEB Entry, then also the e-tron GT. We have so several diverse platforms to pick from and the place we can have enter into.”

He included: “If you would talk about segments, Audi is likely to be the 1 with the widest portfolio around the next years, compared with our opponents. We can go scaled-down and higher with significantly less expenditure than our opponents. It’s an edge.”

Our exceptional illustrations give an plan of how the baby Audi EV could seem. They draw inspiration from a sketch issued by VW on a Christmas card, suggesting a radical roofline that nevertheless manages to accommodate the marginally higher flooring that is necessary to dwelling the car’s battery pack.

Sources have told Vehicle Categorical that the more affordable mother nature of MEB Entry may well depart significantly less scope than typical for bodywork modifications – most likely resulting in prevalent profiles across more than 1 manufacturer, as for every the VW up!, Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii. Audi would then have to rely on more high quality cabin resources and in-vehicle technology to help differentiate its edition.

The new model could enable Audi to capitalise on an emerging sector of the electric-vehicle current market, the place shoppers are ready to pay out more for high quality items with nevertheless-modest battery ranges. MEB Entry designs are predicted to have among a hundred thirty and one hundred fifty miles of range, but in idea this would be plenty of for the vehicle to rival the a short while ago introduced MINI Electrical and the Honda e – equally cars that prioritise impression and design around outright battery range.

Audi’s initially vehicle on the common MEB system – which is established to make its debut with the VW ID.three this summer months – will be the This autumn e-tron. Soneira Santos told us that more excessive ‘halo’ versions of that vehicle are feasible, as Audi seeks to maintain enthusiast appeal in the course of its changeover towards a more electrified range.

“There are means we can do this as a result of e-tron,” he reported. “I can not inform you all the things we have planned, and there are some matters we haven’t planned to the end in any case. But you can just consider a totally new system, MEB, and it would make no perception to have just 1 spinoff – the This autumn e-tron, with 1 specified range of powertrains. We will prolong the portfolio and system and have some psychological versions.”

Head around to our sister web-site DrivingElectric to go through all about the Audi e-tron…