China To Get Exclusive All-Electric Q5 e-tron
Audi has expanded its U.S. EV lineup significantly in recent months, but the Q5 e-tron won't be joining it.
Chinese Exclusive
Audi has been steadily expanding its all-electric vehicle lineup in recent years, and now sells a number of EVs in the U.S. and across the globe. However, its latest EV - the Q5 e-tron - is a Chinese exclusive, even though it shares Volkswagen's widely used MEB platform with a host of models from Audi's parent automaker.
Photos: Audi
Local Production
This news will undoubtedly be disappointing to some, but the Chinese market is a bit more advanced in terms of its hunger for EVs than the American market. Regardless, the Q5 e-tron will be built alongside the VW ID.6 X in Anting, China, much the same way the VW ID.4 and the Audi Q4 e-tron are produced together in Zwickau.
Photos: Audi
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Variety of Offerings
The Q5 e-tron will come in both rear-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive configurations. Both will come equipped with an 83.4 kWh battery pack, and in Q5 40 e-tron and Q5 50 e-tron Quattro variants. As one might imagine, the former comes standard with rear-wheel-drive, while the latter rolls off the assembly line as an all-wheel-drive vehicle.
Photos: Audi
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Power and Range
The rear-wheel-drive Q5 e-tron offers up 150 kW (201 horsepower), while the all-wheel drive model produces 225 kW (302 horsepower).NEDC range estimates come in at 560 kilometers (348 miles) for the Q5 40 e-tron and 520 kilometers (323 miles) for Q5 50 e-tron Quattro. It's worth noting that NEDC ranges tend to be a bit optimistic compared to the EPA ratings we are used to in the states, however.
Photos: Audi
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Cabin
Inside the cabin, the Q5 e-tron features an 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen and a design that mimics the rest of the electrified Audi family. In terms of layout, the the Q5 e-tron seats up to seven thanks to its third row of seats, but there is also a six-seater version with two individual seats in the second row for those that don't need quite as much capacity.
Photos: Audi
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Bigger, Better
The Q5 e-tron is, as one might imagine, both longer and wider than the smaller Q5 e-tron, which is also the case with these EV models' ICE-powered brethren. Styling is also right in line with the smaller variant, with a front end design that essentially mimics that of the Q4 e-tron as well.
Photos: Audi
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Limited Availability
All of this seems like it would make the Q5 e-tron a pretty desirable EV for the crossover-hungry North American market, but alas, that doesn't seem to be in the cards, for now. Regardless, it's a safe bet that Audi and its parent company will continue to expand their electric offerings across the globe in the coming years, so it remains possible that the Q5 e-tron might eventually land stateside.
Photos: Audi
>>Join the conversation about this exclusive Q5 e-tron right here in the Electric Vehicles Forums!
