Next Audi A4 will be all-electric

According to reports in the media, the next generation of the Audi A4 will also be launched purely electrically from the end of 2025. The A4 e-tron should be available as a saloon and estate – with a similar orientation to the current combustion engine model, which will remain in the range for the time being.

As with the Porsche Macan, from another VW Group member, the new model generation will be purely electric, while the current model will continue to be built in parallel (possibly with a facelift) for the combustion engine portfolio.

In the case of Audi, the combustion model will possibly be renamed A5 in the new nomenclature. Audi is putting its model names in a new order. To that end, odd numbers will be reserved for combustion engines and even ones for those with electric powertrains.

PPE-platform

The technical basis of the A4 e-tron is to be provided by the 800-volt PPE platform, which is also used in the upcoming Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron. The English specialized car magazine Autocar assumes that the 100 kWh battery from the A6/Q6 e-tron could also be offered in the slightly smaller A4 e-tron.

As the A4 e-tron is naturally flatter and lighter, the range is also said to be higher; Autocar’s estimations turn around 650 kilometers. Since the battery and the 800-volt system are the same, the charging power should also be at the familiar 270 kW at peak. In ten minutes, the A4 e-tron should thus be able to recharge for 250 kilometers.

Long and sleek

The A4 e-tron is basically intended to address the same customer group in the mid-size class current A4, both in the private customer and fleet markets. Although the model will be very similar in length and width, it will also emphasize the peculiarities of an electric vehicle. A long wheelbase and short overhangs, for example, are expected.

In this market segment, models are often offered in different trim and power levels, which should also be the case for the new electric A4. There is talk of an A4 45 e-tron with rear-wheel drive and an A4 55 e-tron quattro with electric all-wheel drive. An even more powerful S4 e-tron is also possible.

Audi board member for technology Oliver Hoffmann told Autocar that switching to the new platform means the company’s upcoming electric cars will have “great proportions, which makes our designers very happy”. According to the magazine, the design itself is likely to be based on the studies of the A6 e-tron, which have so far been considered close to series production.

Inside, the A4 will take its lead from the Q6 E-tron SUV, with a ‘human-centric’ arrangement based around a trio of high-definition screens, including a stand-alone touchscreen in front of the passenger, which lets them input routes and select music, for example.