Audi working on an EV cheaper than the Q4 e-tron

The Audi Q4 e-tron SUV (shown here) is the marque’s most affordable battery vehicle right now, but CEO Markus Duesmann says it will soon change. The newcomer could be based on a different platform and provide an alternative to the latest A3.

The still-unnamed model will allegedly be based on the SSP architecture that Volkswagen AG plans on using for most of its future EV releases. A plethora of tech optimizations will ensure a driving range up to 700 km (435 miles) despite the ‘affordable’ status, the company believes.

For the body style, the buyers will be able to choose between sedan and hatchback. In its most basic form, the car will make do with a single motor, but there will be S and RS versions with two motors and AWD. Both are supposed to be faster than the current S and RS cars thanks to superior instant torque.

Audi said a while ago that it planned to unveil over 20 new models, including a dozen or so EVs, by the mid-2020s. The catch is that the affordable car Duesmann hinted about may end up coming later than the rest. The brand hopes to go all-electric starting from 2026, though, meaning that the current-gen A3 will likely be phased out by the EV discussed above.