It’s a little surprising to see Audi testing the new Q5 E-Tron in Germany given the fact that the VW ID.6’s premium brother is expected to be sold exclusively in China. Our spies on site were able to catch a fully camouflaged prototype of the electric SUV, wearing its production lights at the back and up front.
The cat’s pretty much out of the bag when it comes to the design of the Q5 E-Tron, though. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released images of a production-ready version of the EV SUV, and the overall look of this test car matches what we saw in the leaked photos. For the uninitiated, the Q5 E-Tron will become the production version of the Audi Concept Shanghai from earlier this year.
Gallery: Audi Q5 E-Tron spy photos
To bring some clarity, the Q5 E-Tron won’t be launched as the successor of the Audi E-Tron, and will instead be positioned as a more luxurious alternative to the ID.6. It should be offered in China in six- and seven-seat configurations with the former featuring individual seats on the second row.
Being twinned with the ID.6 means the Q5 E-Tron will share its powertrains with the large electric Volkswagen. There should be single- and twin-motor versions with 177 bhp and over 300 bhp, respectively. The RWD model could also be available in a more powerful 201 bhp trim. The Q5 E-Tron also has the exact same exterior dimensions as the ID.6.
We are just two weeks away from seeing the model in its full glory as it is reportedly scheduled to debut during the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show on November 19. It should go into production early next year and it’s unlikely to be sold outside the People’s Republic.
Source: Automedia