Audi opens reservations with deposits for its two new e-tron vehicles (quattro and sportback) in more markets

With the imminent launch of the production version of the new e-tron quattro later this year, Audi is opening up reservations with deposits for the vehicle to new markets and it is adding the new all-electric e-tron sportback to the mix.

The German automaker had already opened reservations in a few markets, like Norway, where it received 2,500 reservations, but now interested customers can also order the Audi e-tron Sportback, which is expected to come a year later.

Audi says that the e-tron quattro has “310 miles of range” on a 95 kWh battery pack, but Audi usually uses NEDC rating for electric vehicle range. Therefore, real-world range or the EPA estimate should be closer to ~275 miles.

The all-electric SUV is also equipped with 3 electric motors for a total ouput of 320 kW and it is capable of DC fast-charging up to 150 kW.

Despite opening reservations in several markets, they haven’t confirmed the price. They have been saying that the e-tron quattro is between Audi Q5 and Audi Q7 in term of size and those vehicles have starting MSRPs of $41,000 and $49,000. If the e-tron quattro is offered around the same price before incentives, it would shake up the market, but it’s unclear at this point.

Audi is also getting more serious about the new e-tron Sportback, which is expected to have similar performance as the quattro, but in a sportier package.

While the quattro is expected to have a reveal this summer and hit the dealerships by the end of the year under the model year 2019, the sportback is expected to follow a year later under the model year 2020.

Electrek’s Take

The concepts of both vehicles have been well-received both in terms of specs and design. Audi said that the production versions should be fairly similar to the concepts unveiled, which is encouraging.

The main concern is really pricing. We really want to know how the vehicles will be priced.

As of now, we expect that they will aim to compete with Tesla’s Model X with a starting price of about $75,000, but they could also surprise with a more aggressive pricing strategy. We’ll see.